


Two Sides of a Bloodied Coin

by ItalianTorchwick



Category: RWBY, Rosewick
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Humor, Hurt, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 45
Words: 185,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6325786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItalianTorchwick/pseuds/ItalianTorchwick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roman having failed after the train incident is being reappointed to accommodate for his failures. Unfortunately for him his new job description is to run around spying on teenagers at Beacon. He hates his job until he meets and spends some time with someone he never thought he could have a civilized conversation with: Ruby Rose. Rosewick. Post season 2 AU. M for violence/language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What a Great Way to End a Day

The man in the shadows loosened his grey silk scarf and sat there in the dark, watching and waiting. The fishy smell of the docking district combined with the hot, humid weather of a summer night did not appease the nerves of the notorious criminal mastermind. He sat leaning back on a crate of Dust inside a dimly lit warehouse that was covered with grime and dirt that couldn't possibly aid the cleanliness of his suit. With only the moon for light peaking through the cracks in the wall he was able to see that this must be block twenty-three with seemingly only one entrance but he knew better. There were hidden doors in the back that made this a superb location for ambushes seeing as he used it for that purpose once or twice beforehand. Putting his bowler hat on top of his face, he tried to doze off while fond memories of perfectly executed heists rushed to head. He was on edge, evident from his composure of stiffness. He had every right to be. He had received an urgent message from his ray of sunshine that is his employer. As his employer did not often send out urgent meetings the content of what would be discussed must be dire. Of course she left out the details at to why they must attend and what the problem was. Upon lighting one of his favorite specialty brand cigars Roman Torchwick leaned back and took a deep breath. The fact that his last heist failed as well as the two young adults blabbering away next to him did not help either. Just as Mercury was about to shut up he began telling another memory of his about one of his many meaningless inconveniences. Roman's face began to turn red as he got up, spun around, held up Melodic Cudgel and aimed for Mercury's temple. Squeezing the trigger lightly he jumped back upon one of the hidden doors in the back slamming open.

"Might I ask, what exactly are you doing Roman?" said Cinder as she slowly strolled out into the center of the large room, never removing her steady gaze from a certain trigger happy underling of hers.

"Ah, well thank you for asking. You see Mercury here just finished his ten minute long speech on his past experiences of popcorn stuck in his teeth. So I thought what better way to end such a speech than with a bang."

"You know how I feel about causing damage to our... assets. Now if you're finished I would like to begin."

With a menacing glare Roman slowly lowered his cane and reluctantly sat down all the while knowing that Mercury will never let him live this down.

"The reason I called you all here today was to hand out your new assignments. The cause of such urgency is that both they have strict schedules and will begin tomorrow. Mercury and Emerald, I am leaving you two to rally together the white fang in the northeastern district of Vale as well as kill any attempting deserters. Considering Roman's success with the white fang during the train incident, as well as going through the trouble of having to break him out of prison, this role is best suited towards you two. As for you Roman, you will infiltrate Beacon academy as a student and will act as our man on the inside. We need someone to spy on any potential threats there. Specifically team RWBY who has interfered with our plans too many times. Yes roman that means that you will have to give up the jacket, hat, cane, mascara, cigars and even your haircut. "

The stuttering Roman rose to his feet with his face red and his cigar falling from his lips. He could hear the laughter of Emerald and Mercury behind him which only drove his rejection. Roman shouted "What! Why would you ever put me there? Do you realize that I would be surrounded by a bunch of idealistic twerps who would love nothing more than to tear me limb from limb. Not to mention the fact that my face is on a wanted poster on practically every lamppost in Vale."

"Precisely, nobody would be able to suspect that it is you because they know that doing such a thing is not in your nature. Details will be sent to your scroll."

"Don't I get a say in th-"

"No, now you ship out tomorrow. I suggest you get ready." Said Cinder as she began to leave the room.

"Do I at least get a budget to make a disguise?" Yelled Torchwick when Cinder was just about to walk out the door.

"Yes, you will see that the money has already been granted to you and is waiting in a bank account under the name of Cobalt Cyan." Replied Cinder as she closed the door behind her.

An irritated and bitter Roman let out a sigh as he held his his hand to his face in annoyance. Upon accessing the new bank account of "Cobalt Cyan" he saw he had enough to at least be creative with his new persona's outfits. He stormed out of the room leaving echoes with every step as he knew the longer he stayed the more likely Mercury wasn't going to be leaving the facility. A steaming Roman thought to himself as he left _"I sure am going to have fun these next few months won't I"_ as he lit the last of his cigars for the year and walked out to prepare for _"Class"_. "Ugh."


	2. Relaxing Morning

“So this is beacon, hmm.” Roman said to himself as he walked towards the main hall, his blue unbuttoned trench coat that fades into black by his feet swaying in the wind. He wore a blue shirt to go along his new black pants and his sturdy black boots. He wore a set of blue sunglasses and his red hair was put in long taper cut instead of his infamous bangs. He carried with him a bag, full of his needed school uniform and toiletries, as well as his new weapons he spent most of the night making. According to his newly issued school scroll his first order of business was to speak to Professor Ozpin. 

As he walked through the front doors he jumped back immediately to prevent himself from being run over. The commotion inside was immense. People were running back and forth in every direction as fast as they could while the noise of them doing so was incredible. After a minute when his head finally stopped spinning he looked at his surroundings. Inside the circular room there was a stage at the very center while columns and corridors covered the edges. The color scheme was full of light and dark browns with aquamarine spread throughout. It gave a calming warmth to the room like dying embers of a hearth. The number of people running through began to die down and he began to stroll towards the center of the room. He was in awe while carefully taking in the details of the room as he did not know what might come in handy later. As he spun around taking in the sight he was suddenly thrown off his feet and flung face first to the floor. Barely catching himself he heard someone shout behind him. “Nora, you need to watch where you're going you just ran into someone.” Turning around he saw a black haired man with a pink highlight dressed in a green uniform of some sorts glaring in annoyance at the overly enthusiastic redhead next to him. 

“Sorry Ren.” Turning her attention to him she gasped and continued on excitedly. “Somebody new! What's your name? Where are you from? What's your favorite type of music? Do you prefer apples or oranges? Have you gone on any cool adventures yet?” Asked the redhead.

“Well you could say that…” responded Roman.

“Tell me!”

The black haired one interrupted her saying “Since she's not going to stop pestering you with questions I'm going to apologize for her for running into you. I hope she didn't hurt you in any way. She can be…. eccentric when meeting new people.”

“I am perfectly alright although this is turning out to be quite an eventful morning. It is only eight and the cleanliness of my suit has already been threatened. Is it too much to ask, considering that hit made me lose my sense of direction for the time being, that I ask the directions to Professor Ozpin’s office? I am from Atlas and I will be attending this school for the Vytal festival.” Roman said matter of factly.

“Sure, down the back left corridor, take your first right, and you should come up to an elevator on your left.” 

“Thank you. By the way my name is Cobalt, yours?” Said Roman.

“Ren, and this is Nora” he said while trying to hold Nora back from pelting Cobalt with questions.

“It has been a pleasure meeting you two and thank you for directions. By the way, wasn't that the late bell I heard a moment ago.” Cobalt said as he left to follow Ren’s directions. As he was walking away from the two students he could hear Nora’s eccentric voice trying to get Ren to walk faster because they were late. Cobalt smiled hearing this knowing that his disguise worked and he took a moment to compliment himself on his handywork. As he approached the elevator he realized that this was the true test as to whether or not his disguise would fall through or not.

Inside the elevator everything was green, the lights, walls, carpet, everything. Duly noting the common theme present he began breathing tactics to alleviate his nervousness. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't lower his heartbeat. With a sigh and a face of resignation he stopped as the doors slid open and he walked forward. Once again the common theme of green was prevalent throughout everything in the room. As he walked in he heard a gray haired man, dressed all in green and black whom he presumed to be Ozpin, tell him to come in and take a seat. Cobalt sat down with his legs crossed and leaning back in the chair. Once he stopped moving Ozpin initiated the conversation.

“Greetings Mr. Cyan as you may have guessed I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of this academy. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. Although may I ask as to what reason you brought me here?”

“Strait to the point I see. Very well. I have read your transcript and reasoning as to why you have come in the formal documents presented to me but I wanted to hear the story from you. I have called you in today out of concern for your abnormality of transition. You are not arriving when most students from the other kingdoms do as well as the fact that you arrived by yourself, without a team. Would you mind enlightening me as to why?” Said Ozpin as he sat back and took a long sip of his coffee.

“Why certainly sir, you see I am a member of team CNCR, pronounced ‘conquer’. Two of my teammates, Cindy and Raphael, are twins and their grandfather’s condition is worsening so they have gone back to their home kingdom of Vacuo to spend as much time as they can with him. My other teammate, Norman, got into a fight with an extremely powerful Grimm and was hospitalized. None of them are expected to return or get well until the Vytal Festival is over. The reason as to why I am arriving at an odd time is that I fought with Norman as to whether or not I should stay with him or go ahead and go to the festival. He didn't want his injuries to hold me back and after a long fight he finally convinced me to go ahead and come.” 

“What kind of Grimm attacked Norbert?”

“His name is Norman sir, and he was attacked by a elder nevermore.”

“What is the name of Cindy and Raphael’s grandfather?”

“If I remember correctly I believe his name was Mantigue.”

Ozpin pushed up his glasses nonchalantly as he stared at Cobalt. A stare that could peer into his inner soul searching for any lies in his argument. They sat there in silence for only a few minutes but what felt like hours to Cobalt. One could practically see the gears turning in Ozpin’s head searching for more evidence other than instinct to prove that the man sitting before him was lying. Something seemed off about the man, familiar even. “Are you sure that there isn't anything else you need to tell me?”

“Yes sir.” Responded Cobalt, his voice about to waver.

“Alright then. Give my regards to your team but I would appreciate the periodic update on a regular basis. I hope you don't mind it is just unusual for a student to attend without any of their team. Your classes, room number and key, as well as your schedule are being sent to your scroll now. You have this morning off to settle in. Lunch is at noon and I don't suggest you miss it. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you sir.” Said Cobalt as he respectfully got up and left the room. The second the elevator doors closed he released his breath that he had been holding in. _“Damn”_ he thought. _“I have never had to be that respectable to anyone before, not even to Cinder. I didn't know how much longer I could have kept that up. At least it's over now. I suppose I should check out my dorm room then.”_

After wandering around aimlessly for a couple of hours he accidentally found his room. His room was pasty white and rather plain. The creaking wooden floors, dusty windows and battered furniture showed that the room had seen better days. It wasn't up to par with Roman’s standards but he would survive. He always had. The four beds in the room took up most of the space and there was a small desk with an alarm clock to the left hand side of the doorway. 

Plopping down on what appeared to be the most well kept of the beds he began to collect his thoughts. _“That Nora person really is something isn't she. That man with her, Ren I believe it was, acted somewhat like a guardian of hers. I'm sure glad I'm not in his place. Ozpin though, I swear I thought he could see past my ruse. Maybe he did but wants to keep an eye on me to see why. I should be especially cautious around that man. The rest of the building is large enough that I should have fun exploring it for the next few months.”_ A vibrating scroll brought him back to reality. The message came from an unknown number and said “Don't forget the mission.” _“So the witch decided to check up on me. Please it's my first day here and she's already pestering me. No fun, no fun at all.”_

Setting his scroll down he decided to look through his bag. That morning right before he left his apartment there was a bag placed on his apartment’s doormat with a note on it. The handwriting was clearly Cinder’s and it told him to put everything of his into the bag with directions to use the materials inside to avoid suspicion. Roman never quite got a good look at what was inside due to his hurry and just stuffed his things inside and hoped for the best. Now he could properly examine the materials. Upon further investigation it was revealed to him that other than his school uniform and clothing he brought, as well as his toiletries and weapons, the contents of the bag were nothing but books and posters no doubt with the intention of making him look even more like a young adult. He equipped his weapons after loading power cells into them and moved on to his provided decor. After putting up those posters and setting the books on his shelf above his desk he decided he would get a little shut eye to recover from the morning and long night. Setting the alarm to noon and jumping onto the bed he slipped into unconsciousness immediately.


	3. The Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes  
> Hey everybody thank you all for making it this far into my story. I really do appreciate it. Thank you all and don't feel afraid to comment. Trust me it can make my day.
> 
> Back to the point at hand. I need to say a few things before the story continues any farther. So here's my list of things to know.
> 
> I: First of all I know that somebody will comment about this eventually so I'm providing an answer now as opposed to causing any confusion. Cobalt v. Roman. I will refer to Roman as both names but you will see times when I switch between the two. My rule for this is that if Roman is undercover at the moment then he will be referred to as Cobalt. If not then his normal name will be mentioned. An easy way to tell this is if Roman is dressed as “Cobalt” then he will be referred to as Cobalt. If he is dressed in his normal outfit full of swagger then he will be called Roman. If this rule ever changes I will update you all on that before it happens.
> 
> II: Do you remember the M rating I gave this series for Violence and Language? Yeah this chapter has that. No there is no smut of any kind if that's what you're thinking. Trust me when I say this story will never have smut. By violence I mean that there is some character death as well as blood and gore. If any of you are squeamish around blood like I can be sometimes then this is your last warning. This chapter contains minor amounts of blood and gore.
> 
> III: This will interest most of you. My updating schedule. Here's my progress with my story. I am currently wrapping up chapter 24 and this is now the third month I've spent writing my story. I have a plan. Now since this is my first week of going public I'm being generous. That combined with the fact that my first seven chapters are easily the shortest of my story means that for the rest of this week I will be updating one chapter a day. On Friday, March 25 I will be switching to a system where I will post one chapter a week. You can expect a new chapter posted between 10:30 and 11:30pm EST on Fridays to become a regular thing for the foreseeable future.
> 
> Without further delay, enjoy Chapter 3: The Dream.

Roman ran through the halls of Beacon as explosions and flames flew everywhere. Ignoring the likely permanent ear damage he was suffering he was looking for any survivors. Entering the burning cafeteria with debris strewn across the room he saw team RWBY severely injured and about to pass out with Cinder, Mercury and Emerald standing above them about to deal the final blow. Screaming “NO!” Roman raised Melodic Cudgel and fired, not at team RWBY but at Cinder and her two minions. Jumping back to avoid the shot Cinder said to Mercury and Emerald “You two take care of him.” 

Roman charged towards the two with total disregard for his own safety. He wasn't able to get one attack off before having to go on the defensive though. All the while through the fight Roman was firing his cane towards wherever Cinder was to prevent her from dealing even one attack on team RWBY. Swinging his cane around as fast as he could both in front of him and behind him to parry their attacks gave him a moment of déjà vu with his fight with the kitten and monkey boy. Returning to the present Roman was able to slide forward underneath Mercury’s legs as Mercury raised one up to kick him. Roman grabbed the Mercury’s remaining foot on the ground with his handle of Melodic Cudgel and knocked him down face first. In a flash Roman got back up and was able to shoot Mercury in the back of the head right before having to parry Emerald’s attack of her revolver sickle. Acknowledging Emerald’s eyes full of rage Roman saw that the blade he parried was embedded half an inch into Melodic Cudgel. _“That must be one ticked off woman”_ he thought. Stretching the bounds of his flexibility as well as the seams of his pants Roman jumped around like an over caffeinated cricket trying to avoid those deadly chained blades of Emerald’s. Roman then used his cane to grab onto the blade she threw at him, pulled on the chain attached to it that Emerald was holding and lunged her forward. As she fell he landed his cane underneath her chin and fired. With Emerald and Mercury out of the way he gave his full attention to Cinder. Sitting on a piece of conveniently placed debris Roman out held his arms is sarcastical annoyance. “Come on Cinder can't we just have a civilized conversation, gentlemen to witch?”

“You abandoned that when you betrayed us.” Replied Cinder.

“Oh please you know i always follow whatever path is best for me in the end. Surprise surprise unlike your little dogs over there now being wormfood I for one am not willing to lay down my life for your sake.” 

“Then you shall join them. May you burn in hell.” 

“The same to you my dear.” Said Roman as he flipped her the middle finger.

Throwing that one sickle blade that was still embedded into Melodic Cudgel into the air Roman charged at Cinder attacking in every way, shape, or form. Projectiles, grapples, melee, nothing got past her defenses. Cinder’s overconfident eyes provoking him to do a rather risky lunge Roman shot forward but his feet were knocked out under him. While he was falling she grabbed his neck and held him up in the air. She glared at him with a confident smile. “You know that disobeying your superiors is bad for your health right. All your time spent in the underworld should have taught you that.” Cinder said as she began choking him. Just as he was about to black out she relieved the pressure on his neck and dropped him. Landing on his knees gasping for breath he looked up to see Cinder’s eyes wide open in shock. They both looked down to her stomach where they could see blood start to ooze out along with the tip of a green blade, Emerald’s blade jutting out of her. Her eyes turning to that of pure hatred she grasped out for Roman’s neck and seemed to mutter something just before she coughed up blood all over Roman and fell to the ground. Behind her was a traumatized Ruby still holding the blade soaked in blood with horror. Roman ran up to her and hugged her while tears were falling from his eyes feeling the warm of her body heat. “Ruby? Are you alright? Are you injured? Is your team alright? What do yo….”

That is all Ruby heard as she drowned out everything around her. All that there was in the room was Cinder’s corpse and herself. Cinder’s corpse. _Cinder’s corpse._ That was all she could focus on. She could hear the voices of her friends and family all whispering in her ears despicable things. _“You're a murderer.” “You're supposed to protect people, not kill them.” “You're not worthy of being called a huntress.” “Look at the blood on your hands. You will have that for the rest of your life.”_ “Ruby…. Ruby……. RUBY!!!!!!!”

Jolting back to reality she saw Roman’s face in front of her’s with a level of sincerity she didn't know was possible from any human, let alone a psychological criminal such as himself.

“It's not your fault.” He told her. “You had no choice but to do it. If you hadn't she would have killed me then killed you and your team. It is alright you're safe now.”

“I-I-I…. killed…. her.” Replied Ruby her bloodshot eyes open wide never looking away from the direction of Cinder’s body. 

“I know but you had no choice. It wasn't your fault.” Replied Roman now looking at her directly in the eyes holding her face so she would look into his. “Listen to me Ruby. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. You're a big girl, you can get through this. Remember, you drink milk.” He said finally getting a small smirk out of her. 

“I-I thought you had left us. Left me.” Said Ruby as she began to grasp onto him for dear life and started balling her eyes out.

“Ruby I want you to know that I will never leave you. It doesn't matter how hard it is or how long it takes I will always come rescue you and those you care about. I love you Ruby.” He said as he leaned in to kiss her. Just as she began to feel her lips grazing his she muttered just loud enough for Roman to hear.

“I love you too.”


	4. Lunch

“Oh sweet mother of God!” Yelled Roman as he jumped into a sitting position in his bed. Breathing heavily, cold sweat dripping down his body, stomach heaving, he looked around to see a white desolate room. The flames were gone, no screams of the innocent, no choking smoke, no Cinder or Red. _“Red.”_ Another wave of nausea hit him as he tried to get out of bed. His legs were shaking and he leaned against the wall for support. _“What had I done?!”_ Yes Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder weren't his favorite people, in fact he downright hated all of them, but not enough to kill them or leave them for her. _“Red.”_ She just wouldn't leave his head. He wasn't supposed to like her, let alone do what he had just done. He chuckled to himself thinking of the ridiculousness of the dream he just experienced. He could point out so many flaws from the fact that he had been in his normal clothes with Melodic Cudgel to the fact that he made some strange remark about her milk consumption. Roman’s chuckling continued as it steadily grew and turned into a fit of hysteric laughter. Slumping to the floor, putting his hands to his face in an effort to control himself while tears falling from his face as he was gasping for breath. _“This is hilarious! Just too much! Me betraying Cinder and coming to rescue someone, especially that thorn in my side! Ruby!”_ Smile and laughter gave away to a stern face. He had called her by her real name. Of course he knew what her real name was, having looked through the student records of those he was assigned to spy on, but it left him with a foul taste in his mouth. He had actually shown compassion and concern for another's well being.

“Beep beep beep beep!”

Returning from his daydream, frantic eyes scoured the room for the source of the alarming and alerting noise. Eyes landing upon the alarm clock he noticed that it was noon. His grumbling stomach reminded him that it was lunch. He turned off his alarm and made sure he had his things while he left for what was likely going to be subpar food that he would be eating for the next few months.

Everything was just fine and dandy. Just peachy. Never mind the fact that he got lost on the way to lunch and arrived thirty minutes late. Never mind the huge line that awaited before him. Never mind the fact that most of the good stuff was gone and all there was left was broccoli and sandwiches with a kind of meat that he couldn't identify. He found an empty spot on the end of a table, far away from where any other students were as to not bother him. Unknown to him a pair of silver eyes were watching him from across the cafeteria. 

Ruby, being the innocent and nïave girl she was, had always sought after the best of people and lived by Jaune’s quote that he told her when they both first arrived: “Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet”. She became interested in all newcomers but most never peaked her interest. But a certain red haired man with a blue trench coat she had never seen before was different. She watched as he sat down at the end of a table thus isolating himself from the rest of the student body. Something about him felt familiar but she could not tell what it was. 

“Ruby? Ruby!” Said a bitter sounding ice queen.

Reverting her attention back to the table the first thing Ruby noticed was the angry eyes of the heiress.

“Did you even here what I said?” Stated Weiss, leaning forward and crossing her arms.

“Uh… did it have something to do with cookies?” 

Pausing and letting Ruby answer her own question, Weiss put her hand to her face and sighed while shaking her head back and forth slightly.

“You need to learn to pay attention and get a longer attention span than five seconds. It's so childish.”

“I'm sorry what was that?” Replied Ruby who had already reverted her attention back to the strange blue and black dressed student.

“Ugh, why you little-” 

“Hey ice queen, cool it.” Interrupted a certain blond thrill seeker while Weiss’s face turned red with smoke coming out of her ears.

“How many times have I told you not to call-”

“So Ruby is something wrong?” Yang interrupted, this time aiming a smirk her fuming teammate.

“Oh it's nothing I was just was thinking about something.” Said Ruby with a hint of uneasiness in her voice.

“Come on, you can tell me.” Said Yang leaning towards her sister with that big grin on her face. 

Knowing that her sister wasn't going to stop interrogating her until she broke Ruby said “Okay, fine, it's just…there is something that interests me about that student over there.” Ruby pointed to the student in a blue coat and sunglasses who was facing away from them.

“Wow Ruby. I never knew you had a thing for redheads.” Said Yang with a suggestive smirk.

Blushing furiously Ruby exclaimed “No! I didn't mean it like that-”

“Ah, so you meant more than that.”

Approaching the shade of her cloak Ruby stuttered “No! No! No! No! No! I swear! I hadn't seen him before and he seemed out of place that's all!” 

“So you'd like him in another place of yours-”

Blake turned towards Yang “I would appreciate it if you would stop. You're making us all feel uncomfortable and Ruby looks like she is about to explode.” 

“Yeah come on Yang that was a little much don't you think” said Jaune clearly feeling conflicted as he should support Ruby but also not get into the issue at the same time.

With Blake returning to her book and conversation between team JNPR starting up again Yang muttered “You all don't know when to take a joke do you”.

Seeing this as the time to explain herself Ruby said “I just haven't seen him before today and something seems different about him. Something off”.

An excited Nora jumped into the conversation. “Oh that guy! I bumped into him on the way to Grimm studies! He seemed so cool! I wonder if he's a spy! A secret spy!” 

“I'm pretty sure all spies are secret Nora.” Said Ren. “Anyway he's new here. Just came from Atlas. He acted like a prick.”

“You know this wouldn't be the first time I've heard of a prick coming to Beacon from Atlas.” Said Blake just setting her book down enough to peek at Weiss momentarily. 

“You know I don't have to take this. Besides i need to get to professor Goodwitch’s class early today.” Said Weiss as she exited the cafeteria.

“Oh crap you're right.” Said Ruby as she ran after Weiss with the rest of the table shortly following suit after remembering Goodwitch say that the next lesson was going to be long so they should get there early. As Ruby was leaving, her mind drifted to that student from Atlas dressed all in blue and black. For some strange reason she really hoped that he would be joining her for this upcoming class.


	5. Class

Nobody told Cobalt that he had to go to class early that day. In fact nobody told him where his class was. All he got was a time and a room number. No map or anything. It had taken him two hours to find his dorm room and he only did so by accidentally bumping into it while wandering the halls aimlessly. So arriving fifteen minutes late to a class that was supposed to start early did not help his relationship with his professor whoever they were. Having walked in late, and the fact that the doors to the room were large and not well oiled, his attempt at sneaking turned into a dramatic entrance. Under normal circumstances he would have purposely made the situation as dramatic as possible but in times of going undercover discretion was advised.

A older blond woman was standing on the center stage. Turning her head towards the sound of the creaking she called him out. "I see you finally decided to attend class today Mr. Cyan. Since this is your first day I will let you off with a warning. But I expect you to be on time from now on. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now we can begin the next match."

Cobalt took a seat in the back right of the stadium classroom. As the class drew on he took an interest in the matches as well as the students reactions. Recording and memorizing the fighting styles and semblances. He would observe every interaction between the others and making estimates on personalities. After all if he was supposed to keep an eye on the student body he better have ways of manipulating them. His eyes finally drifted to his primary targets: team RWBY. _Ruby. "Damn it!"_ He thought as he was reminded of his earlier dream. _"Why do I keep thinking about her like that?! That was just a stupid dream! I don't have feelings for her! She's been nothing but a thorn in my side! Nothing happened in reality! My feelings are for an imaginary Ruby are not real!"_ At this point he realized he had been unintentionally staring at her. Turning away with a small blush he decided that he will try to observe them later in a less obvious way.

Little did he know that the person he was staring at was staring back. Ruby had that feeling of being watched but couldn't tell who. Looking around she saw it was not any of her friends. But yet the strange feeling continued. Looking back she noticed that the only person glancing her way was that new kid. He was hiding it very well but she could tell he had been glancing at her.

"Miss Rose would you please return your attention to the front of the class?" Said an annoyed Professor Goodwitch.

"Oh, sorry, yes ma'am."

"Since our next match is about to begin let's have you become one of the contestants."

"Yes ma'am." Said a disappointed Ruby.

"Let's have you fight-" Began Goodwitch as she scoured the room searching for any others who weren't paying attention. "-Mr. Cyan."

"Why certainly Professor." said Cobalt as he walked towards the fighting area, his hands behind his back, head held high.

 _"Well this is great."_ Thought Ruby. _"I just wanted a new friend and my curiosity made his first fight here be against me."_

"Let the match of Cobalt Cyan vs Ruby Rose, begin!" Said Goodwitch when Cobalt made it to center stage.

Ruby pulled out her Crescent Rose and slammed it into the floor aiming her sniper at him while loading in a cartridge. She saw her opponent respond with a smug smile and take out a foot long, three inch wide cylinder with several buttons covering it from behind his back. He pressed the top button and the foot long cylinder extended to a full six foot long staff. It had metal barbs at the end that lit up blue with flowing electricity. Ruby decided the best way to avoid the pointy end of that stick was to do a ranged attack. She began firing as many bullets as she could at Cobalt. Cobalt charged towards Ruby to try to close the gap while flipping his staff around fast enough to deflect all of her bullets. Pulling her scythe out of the ground she charged towards Cobalt but just before they met she jumped into the air, aiming her scythe towards the ground, and fired. The recoil shot Ruby into the air towards the end of the ring. Looking back she panicked. Cobalt had turned around and used his inertia to slide to the floor pointing his staff at her. Another press of a button and she saw the barb facing him retract while a scope, handle and trigger came out of the center of the staff. The non-barbed end hitting his shoulder he raised his sniper rifle and aimed at her still in the air. Barely able to deflect the blue spark trailing bullet with her blade of her scythe, she was put off balance. Seeing his time to attack, Cobalt ran towards where Ruby would land, planning on using gravity to help him land his hit. Ruby seeing this regained her positioning and fired towards the ground for an aerial attack. Cobalt had just enough time to prepare to block her attack as inertia wouldn't let him be able to dodge. Holding his staff up in front of him horizontally with both hands he prepared for the assault. Ruby hit his staff hard enough with the blunt edge of Crescent Rose that the flooring around them shattered and flew into the air.

Using the dust arising from the shattered debris as cover Cobalt became offensive once more. He attacked with a thrust aimed towards her right side midsection. Ruby was able to parry the blow but suddenly Cobalt appeared in her reduced vision much closer than he should have with the length of his staff. Suddenly she felt a huge jolt of numbing pain in her left side. Looking down she saw the opposite side of his staff hitting her. _"His staff can break into two!"_ She thought as she suddenly felt a hand grasp around her throat. Not tight enough to cause difficulty breathing, but enough to make escape impossible. He held up his other hand about to touch her face with his gloved palm. For the first time she was able to get a good look at him. He wore a set of gloves covered with black metal with a glowing blue orb in his palm that had wires tracing out of it to the end of his fingertips. The glove appeared like it would deliver quite a shock to whoever he would touch. But his face is what she focused on. His face was rigid, determined and without mercy. His hair was messy from the fight and his baring clenched teeth gave of him a ferocious and feral look. But his eyes. Ruby could see over his glasses and see his eyes for the first time. Beyond those glasses of his and the mask of his face his eyes were different. They held no anger, no hatred. They were lonely. They were like that of a street dog whose owner had died with nobody left to care for him. They were the eyes of someone who needed to be loved and have a sense of belonging.

"Mr. Cyan that is enough!" Yelled an angry Professor Goodwitch. Although Ruby couldn't see her as her back was turned to her she could tell by her opponent's reaction that she was being as intimidating as she could be.

At that very moment the bell rang, thus easing the tension of the room.

"Very well. You may both go. But Mr. Cyan this is just a sparring match need I remind you off that." Said Professor Goodwitch while Cobalt released Ruby.

Ruby felt herself falling but a hand grabbed her own to prevent her from hitting the ground. All malice in his voice having disappeared he said "Good fight. You know how to handle yourself quite well. I'm impressed". Looking up she saw him smile but it looked fake with the state of his eyes remaining the same. Pushing up his glasses thus hiding his eyes he said "Oh right, sorry I scared you with Joybuzzer here" holding up his gloves.

"That fight. Was. Awsome!" Said Ruby solemnly with the first two sentences but with absolute excitement for the third. "Say what happened to your staff?"

"Oh you mean Partystarter? I put it back together and sheathed it before I was about to finish this."

"It was so cool! How did you-"

"Ruby!" Yelled an annoyed Yang. "Come on if we don't leave now we will be late for Dr. Oobleck's class."

"Coming Yang! Hey I'll have to talk to you later." Ruby said to Cobalt.

"Until we meet again."

"Bye!"

Cobalt watched Ruby leave and chuckled. _"She can be so childish at times."_ His smile faded away as he realized what he had forgotten. _"Ah crap. I forgot to ask her for a map of the premises"_ he thought. "Ruby!" he shouted after her but she had already left. Looking around for Professor Goodwitch or any other student he found the the room empty.

_"Damn."_


	6. His Eyes

Ruby continued throughout her day just as she would any Monday of her week: with cheerfulness and joy. Even when she would bump into objects and people throughout the halls. The problem was that she was doing it much more often than usual and her team noticed. At dinner the rest of her team decided to ask her about the cause of her more than normal clumsiness. 

“So would you care to tell us why you seem to have a vendetta to run into everything in this school.” Said an interrogative Weiss.

“I have a what now?”

“She's saying you are being clumsier than normal.” Answered Blake.

“Oh. Hey!”

“Seriously sis it's pretty obvious you have something on your mind. What is it?” Said Yang putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder. All eyes of her team looking at Ruby's. Yet all Ruby could do was look down at her food. It might as well as have been cardboard. Everything had tasted bland. The only thing she could think about was those eyes. The thought was potent enough she could not register whatever she tasted. Those steady green eyes had inside of them a lonesomeness that seemed almost familiar somehow.

“Ruby is everything alright? You can tell me anything you know.” Said Yang with a tone of concern.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been thinking about that sparring match I was in earlier.” Said Ruby looking at Yang but slowly drifting her eyes to her food. 

Yang shot up, her chair flying behind her, slammed her fists together and yelled. “I knew it! Where is that son of a bitch?! That side shot was cheap! I swear the next time I see him-”

“No Yang! It wasn't like that-!”

“Then what was it?!” Replied a red eyed Yang.

“It was… one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced.” Stated Ruby as she backed down. “He had an answer for everything I did. It's frightening. After so much success in taking down Grimm and bad guys I had begun thinking that I was untouchable. That was just a reminder that I'm not. Sorry if i made you all worry.”

Yang finally sat down only to end up on the floor, earning a few chuckles from her team. Getting up, she went to grab the chair she shot back and returned. In hope of maintaining her dignity Yang said “I only did that to get a laugh out of Ruby.” 

“Sure you did. But thank you. I needed that.” Said Ruby.

“Don't worry too much about it Ruby.” Said Blake. “We all have moments like that. The important thing is to keep the lesson you learned today in mind when going on missions.” 

The tension of the table having dissipated everyone returned to their meals. But Ruby's meal might as well have spoiled right there on the spot. She ate anyway because she knew that if she did not it would only draw unwanted attention. The only feeling Ruby felt in her stomach was not hunger; it was guilt. She had lied to her teammates, the people she was supposed to trust with her life. Well she hadn't quite lied. She just held back a lot of details. She had felt the shock of having lost for the first time in a while but that was not what was distracting her. It was those eyes of his. Sure she had seen eyes full of loss from those affected by Grimm attacks, but his were filled with such an intensity that she had only seen once before. _“They're like dad’s.”_ With that realization Ruby began to gag. 

“Ruby are you alright?!” Said Yang with a face of true worry.

Finishing her coughing fit Ruby said “Yeah I'm alright. Some food just went down wrong. I hope you don't mind if I go back to our room. I'm tired from today and I've lost my appetite.” Using her semblance to get away before any of them could respond she made her way to her dorm leaving a trail of roses. Once there she turned changed into her pajamas, turned off the lights and plopped down on her bed to stare at the ceiling. As her heart rate decreased her brain activity only rose. Her thoughts were racing with so many questions. Those eyes. She could see them now just as easily as she did at the fight. What was with them? She knew about them from seeing how her dad reacted to her mother's death. Yet that intrigued her more. What happened to him? How was he able to continue living normally when her dad couldn’t? Why did he do everything in his power to hide it? Interrupting her thoughts she heard the dorm room door quietly open and close. Facing the wall Ruby hoped whoever had entered would believe her to be asleep. Footsteps leading towards the bunk beds Ruby heard softly “Listen Ruby.” It was Yang. “I know you're awake. I can also tell that something other than you what told us is bothering you. I don't know what it is but if you ever want to talk about it I'm here.” Ruby could then hear Yang begin to leave likely to join the rest of her team and tell them that she was alright. When she heard the doorknob turn Ruby finally spoke up. 

“Yang, can you keep this just between us?”

“Of course I can.”

“It was his eyes.” Ruby said thus creating a an atmosphere of confusion and silence. Realizing just how vague her statement was she began to clarify. “That's what threw me off and what has been grabbing my attention. When he held me right in front of him I was close enough to see over his glasses. His eyes are just like Dad’s Yang.”

The silence in the room became deafening with that statement. After what seemed like an eternity to Ruby, Yang spoke up. “What do you mean by that?”

“His face is a mask. It's a ploy to hide. But his eyes reflect who he really is and he knows this. That is why he secludes himself and hides them. It's because he's mourning or suffered some kind of devastating loss. Large enough to have them look like Dad's.”

After a seemingly infinite period of silence Yang said “I understand that you want to help everyone Ruby, just like the heroes did in those fairy tales. But if he is truly suffering that much pain I very much doubt a few kind words or actions would help. Your welcome to go ahead and try but don't feel bad if it doesn't do anything or if he shrugs you off. But don't worry I will keep this between us. Goodnight Ruby.” Yang closed the door behind her once she left and brought the room back into the darkness that filled the room before she came in. About to continue her previous brainstorming session Ruby began to feel her eyes droop and the day's exhaustion creeping in. Exhaustion overcoming curiosity her eyes slowly flickered and closed as Ruby slipped into unconsciousness.

Ruby's eyes jerked open as she woke with a start. Cold sweat covering her she scanned her surroundings. She was still in her dorm room and her teammates were in their beds fast asleep. The time read 4:30 a.m. but Ruby was not going back to bed. Not after that dream. Racking her brain she could not remember what happened in her dream. But it had been a nightmare that she was certain of. Needing some fresh air she got off of her bed as quietly as she could and she creeped over to the door. A small squeal rang out while turning the doorknob but nobody stirred so likely nobody heard it. Finally getting into the hall after a painstakingly long time closing the door Ruby began to walk towards the cafeteria for an early morning snack. She hoped that something to eat would clear her mind. The cafeteria was pitch black with the only source of illumination coming from the moonlight through the windows and the poorly lit vending machines in the corner. Walking in and heading towards the vending machines she saw the place barren and empty except for a strange lump on one of the tables. It looked like a person on their side lying down facing away from her. The moonlight only illuminated the person’s hair. She was able to identify the person just simply by that detail though.

_“Cobalt?”_


	7. Meeting in the Moonlight

Goosebumps arose, covering Ruby as she stared at the seemingly motionless body. He laid there quite still, not even showing signs of breathing. The slight nip in the air became as cold as the Siberian tundra. The silence was immense. Time slowed. Every step took an hour. The only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat. Walking as silently as she could she crept over towards him. Finally standing over him she scanned for any signs of harm. None of his limbs appeared injured, nor did he have blood coming from him. Ruby slowly outstretched her arm towards him when she suddenly saw a flash of blue. The first thing she noticed was the sound. There was a crackling sound that seemed to emanate from her and echoed throughout the room. Looking down with her eyes she saw the end of one of the metallic barbs of his staff just under her chin. It crackled and buzzed as it glowed bright blue creating an eerie glow. She stood absolutely still, having to breathe lightly out of the fear that one of the strands of energy might strike her if her neck moved to much. Cobalt still laid there on the table, his arm holding the staff unwavering but other than that he remained in his original position. After about five minutes of the only motion in the room coming from the electric end of the staff, Ruby heard a raspy voice say “Aren't you going to say something?” 

_“What!?”_ She thought. She remained silent hoping that he would take the hint that his staff was too close.

Cobalt coughed several times before speaking again in his normal tone. “Ah. Yes I suppose I should remove this for you to speak.” Removing the staff from its position and sheathing it under his cloak he rolled over to face her. He was still in all of his clothes from the day earlier. He even still had his glasses on. Placing one arm up to support his head and the other on his hip he smiled and said “So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in my bedroom?”

“Bedroom!” She whispered loudly. “This is the cafeteria!”

“Oh please you don't need to whisper it's just the two of us here. And besides, I'm using this table as a bed, it's in a room, so I can rightfully call this my bedroom for the moment. Now why are you here?”

“I can ask you the same thing!”

“Well isn't it obvious? I was sleeping. Now back to the question at hand. Why are you here?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Whenever somebody enters my bedroom I like to know why.”

“This isn't your bedroom! It's the cafeteria! Why aren't you in your dorm room?! It's four in the morning!”

“The same goes for you. Now as to the reason I'm not in my dorm room is that I seem to have misplaced it.”

Crossing her arms Ruby said “You lost your dorm room?”

“Yes now I thought we already had that understood. Why are you here?”

“It's because this is the cafeteria! I was hungry!”

“Oh, well then go ahead. Don't let me hold you back.”

“Ugh!” Said Ruby as she stormed over to the vending machine. While she was ordering her package of cookies Ruby said back to Cobalt who was getting up and stretching “So how did you ‘misplace’ your dorm room?”

“Well this is a large castle with many doors, hallways and mysterious passageways-”

“You don't know where your room is do you?”

“I don't have the slightest idea. Or where any room is for that matter. The headmaster did not leave me with a map and this isn't the easiest place to just find your way around. I found it once this morning although I have no idea how.”

“Really? If you want to I can forward a map to your scroll.”

“It's that easy! If only someone told me that earlier. But yes I would like a map very much please. Oh, my bad I don't think we have formally met as I don't count the fight earlier as a greeting on good terms.” Said Cobalt as he outstretched his hand. “My name is Cobalt Cyan. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ruby Rose and it's nice to meet you too.” Said Ruby as she took his hand. Afterwards, putting a cookie in her mouth, she pulled out her scroll and pressed a few buttons. Finishing her cookie she said “There you go. It should have sent but it might take a while since it was a large file.”

“Would you mind showing me to my room then?”

“Sure. Anything to help others.” She said with that trademark smile of hers. Cobalt was fortunate to be wearing those glasses of his to avoid her seeing his eyes roll as they began to leave. The walk there was long and everything was dark with the moon giving the rooms that seemed homely a mysterious and ethereal feeling. But Ruby continued along just as happily as ever, seemingly unaffected by the unnerving atmosphere and silence. She just continued to wolf down those cookies of hers.

“You know I recently read that there's this practice that people can do for their health. I've heard it's quite helpful. Now what was it… Oh that's right it's called breathing.”

“Mmmmm mummum…”

“My point exactly.”

Finishing her last cookie Ruby turned around and said with a smile “Why do you need to breathe when cookies are so delicious?” Cobalt put his hand to his face and shook his head in annoyance as he sighed. Ruby turned around and continued onward oblivious to his annoyance and the small smile on his face that even he did not know he had.

Finally making it to his room Cobalt unlocked his door but before walking in he turned to Ruby. “Thank you! Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!” Said Cobalt as he shook her hand wildly. Turning towards the door he opened it and ran inside and said “Ah. Home sweet WOAH!!” as he landed with a thump. Ruby ran inside the open door and scanning the room for Cobalt. He was on the floor in between two currently unoccupied beds with a large blue bag right behind his feet where he lay. Running over to him she was stopped by him raising his hand. “No, no trust me I'm quite alright. I just had a little tumble there.” With Cobalt now alright and brushing off his coat, Ruby took the liberty of observing her surroundings. Most of the room was clear and with the exception of a few books it looked just like her room when she first moved in.

“Hey Cobalt.” Said Ruby who sat down on the bed next to the one that Cobalt started to put stuff on.

“Yes?” Replied Cobalt who had just climbed onto his bed and put his hands back behind his head as support while he stared at the ceiling.

“Where's your team?”

“Gone.”

“Gone where?” 

“Well two of my teammates are twins, Cindy and Raphael, and their grandfather is terminally ill so they are spending his last few months with him in Vacuo. The other, Norman, was attacked and fought off an elder nevermore singlehandedly. Ended up in the hospital and is still there now. He's conscious and he can talk but that's about the most he can do for the next six months. In fact it was him who convinced me to leave him in Atlas and head to the Vytal festival on my own. He didn't want to hold me back.”

Cobalt turned his head towards Ruby to find her face sadness ridden like she had just heard that a close one had died. “Ruby it's fine. Trust me the rest of my team are going to be quite alright.”

“But it's just such a sad story.”

“Oh please, I've heard much worse.”

“How can you do that?” Said Ruby with a hint of coldness in her voice.

“What are you talking about?”

“How can you just shrug this off like it's nothing? It's like you don't even care.” Said Ruby as she stood up with as much sternest as she could muster.

“I've come to peace with things. Besides caring about it won't change anything.”

“That's not true! How can you be so insensitive?”

“So what if I am!?” Asked Cobalt raising his voice while getting up and standing over her. “Like caring has done me much good. Caring can only bring pain and weakness. Caring has been the downfall of many of my associates. You can care all you want but when the world spits in your face after you trust it with your life don't come crying to me. Unlike you I'm not going to let caring bring me down.”

“Then you're going down with me! You care about things just as much as I do!”

“You don't know my life! How do you know!?”

“You're eyes!”

“What about my eyes!?”

“They're full of pain, suffering and lonesomeness!”

“Yeah right.” Cobalt scoffed.

“You always do this!”

“Do what!?”

“Put on that fake mask of yours. You're right I don't know what you went through in your life but you've experienced the loss of something very important to you and you think that by putting on your mask you can hide the pain. You know this deep down and that is why you seclude yourself! That is why you pretend to be someone you're not!” Said a red faced Ruby. 

Silenced filled the room as both of them glared at each other's eyes, both of their faces red with anger. Cobalt’s eyes began to soften and his mask began to fade but just as Ruby though she got through to him his mask returned, colder and harder than ever. Pointing towards the door Cobalt said coldly and unwavering “Leave. Now.”

Ruby’s eyes began to tear up as she stormed out of the room leaving the door open behind her. Running back to her dorm she crept in as to not wake anyone and slipped back into bed. She hoped that nobody hear her come in and leave. It would be a pretty embarrassing story to tell. After waiting a few minutes with only the sound of breathing coming from her teammates she began to calm down. It was hard to relax after getting as fired up as she was. She spent the remaining time waiting for sleep to come and take her creating lines that she could have said but did not. The last thought she had before she drifted back to sleep was _“This isn't over Cobalt. You may not think that you're ready to face your true self but I'm going to help you do so whether you like it or not.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends the daily posting series. I will be switching to posting once a week on Fridays between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. EST. I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far and will continue to read further as I post more content.


	8. A Proper Introduction

“RUBY! Come on you don't want to be late!” Yelled Yang. Ruby’s eyes flung open as she sat up. Looking around she saw that the time was 7:55, the lights were on, the beds were made and Blake and Weiss were walking out the door. 

“Why didn't you wake me earlier?”

“You looked so peaceful. Besides you seemed like you needed your sleep. Now hurry up and get ready we're going down to breakfast.”

“I'll be right there just prevent Nora from getting all of the pancakes.”

“Alright I'll save a few for you.” Said Yang walking out the door thus leaving Ruby alone in the room.

With the possibility of actually having something to eat secure Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Using her semblance Ruby rushed around the room completing all of her morning preparations in record time. All dressed and ready to go she looked back at the room to see if she missed anything. Everything was covered in rose petals. All over the floor, dresser and everywhere the eye could see. Leaving a mental note to vacuum before her teammates returned to the room she checked the clock. Wiping away a few petals she saw that it was only 7:58. With glee Ruby spun around and walked out the door as she knew she would get pancakes. Walking down the hallway as to not make any more rose petals from her semblance she began to ponder about the previous night. _“I was right about him hiding himself but I didn't expect that to go so poorly. I approached the topic way too soon. I wonder what I can do to have him give me a second chance.”_ Just as she turned at the corner of the hallway she ran straight into someone. Knocked backwards she could feel herself falling. Looking towards the ground she extended her left arm backwards to prevent herself from hitting the floor but suddenly felt herself stop. Looking up she saw a metallic glove holding on to her right hand. Pulling her back up Cobalt said “That sure was a close one there. Try to keep your eyes ahead of you instead of staring at the ground next time.” 

“Thank you. I'm sorry I'll just get out of your way.” Said Ruby as she walked past him. Before she could get far she heard Cobalt call her. Still looking down the hall she stopped to hear him out. An atmosphere of unease and tension filled the room.

Not looking back but hearing her footsteps stop as a cue to begin. “Ruby. Listen I'm, well…” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Look I'm sorry about last night. I acted like an ass. You were only following your beliefs to help everyone but I treated you like crap for it. I'm sorry.” 

With those last few words sounding like it pained him to say it Ruby turned around to see his body language to confirm if he really meant it. He was still standing in the spot he was when she ran into him, still facing away. He seemed rather stiff as if he was extremely uncomfortable.

“I'm sorry too. I mean I just met you and I already tried to pry into your personal life. I shouldn't have done that.”

“You were just trying to do what you thought was right. I have no hard feelings for you because of that.” Cobalt turned around to face Ruby but just ended up staring at his feet and shuffling them. “I was wondering if I could… Well perhaps…”

“Yes?”

“Well… I was wondering if I could join you and your team at mealtimes? A king cannot remain in power without allies. I'm not the most social of people as you may be able to tell. You seem to be the only person who can put up with me and it would surely help my relationships with professors and fellow students if I act less like a jackass. I'll try to remain quiet and just learn through observation as to not disturb your friends.” He said scratching the back of his head.

“So you're asking if you want to be my friend?” Said Ruby excitedly.

“...Yes?” Said a suddenly wary Cobalt.

“Yay! Come on let's head down for breakfast.” The two of them began their walk to the cafeteria with the main topic of conversation being how Cobalt should interact with the others. “But you shouldn't learn by just sitting there quietly. You need to have some interaction with the others for them to begin seeing you as a friend. But you can't have it only be sarcastic comments and sass.”

“Ruby I do not think you quite realize just how hard what you said will be.” Said Cobalt flatly.

“Oh please it can't be that hard.” The only response Ruby received was Cobalt rolling his eyes. “Alright this may be difficult.” Ruby conceded. So the two of them spent the rest of the walk towards the cafeteria discussing what Cobalt should and should not do. Upon reaching the cafeteria they were able to say a last few words before reaching the table.

“So is there anytime at all when I can use sass? Because I don't know if I can make it through a conversation yet without it.”

“Alright you can use sass and sarcastic comments but only on Weiss.”

“Which one is that again?”

“The white-haired one.”

“Oh this will be fun.”

Walking up to the table after getting their food, Ruby’s presence was met with smiles that soon turned into confusion and disapproval as they realized Cobalt had followed. Once sitting down with Cobalt opposite of Ruby both teams quieted down. “Everyone this is Cobalt. Cobalt this is everyone of team JNPR and RWBY.” Ruby said with a smile.

“It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you all.” Cobalt said addressing the entire table.

Yang then checked to make sure it seemed like he was not listening and turned to Ruby and whispered. “Why did you bring him here?”

“I'm trying to get him out of his shell. I thought some social interaction would be good for him.”

“Yeah a lot of interacting he's doing. He's just making all of us feel uncomfortable could you ask him to le-”

“You know I can hear you right?” Said Cobalt bluntly. 

With the awkwardness of the situation growing Jaune decided to break the ice. “So Cobalt it's nice to meet you, my name is Jaune, and how about you tell us a little more about yourself?”

“It is nice to meet you Jaune and very well. My full name is Cobalt Cyan and I am the leader of team CNCR.”

“Where's your team?” Replied Jaune. “I don't see them anywhere.” He said turning his head looking for anyone who would approach them to talk to Cobalt.

“Our operations have been suspended for the foreseeable future due to some unforeseen emergencies. It's a bit of a long story. I don't really want to talk about it.”

“Oh, I'm sorry if I brought up a bad topic.”

“No, no. Trust me you're fine.”

“Trust you?” Said Blake with hostility in her voice. “How are we supposed to trust you when we don't know you or your background?”

“That's why I'm here. I'm new and I'm trying to make new friends by getting to know each other.” Said Cobalt putting his elbows on the table and bringing his hands together matter of factly.

“But you're dodging the question he asked.”

“And you haven't? I'm sure there is plenty of information in your background that you haven't revealed to the public eye.” Said Cobalt giving a knowing glance at Blake.

“Cobalt remember what I said about-” Began Ruby.

Turning towards her for the moment “Trust me Ruby I know where I'm going with this.”

Returning his attention to Blake he saw her face red with anger. “How dare you? You don't know what I've been through.”

“Exactly I don't and I don't want you to know what I've been through. Life can be cruel and painful and you of all people should be able to understand not wanting to express that in front of others.” Said Cobalt moving his head down to give her a confirming glare of his eye.

“How can you say that? We literally just met seconds ago.”

“It's all revealed in how you carry yourself. You would be surprised by what body language can give away about someone.” 

Flustered and thoroughly ticked off Blake got up from her seat and said “I've suddenly lost my appetite. I'll head to class early today.” Her dramatic exit stunned the table into silence for only a few seconds but what felt like hours to the participants. That is until a fiery Weiss stood up and walked over towards where Cobalt was sitting and slammed her fist down thus shaking the entire table.

“What the hell was that!?” Yelled Weiss who appeared to get redder by the second.

“Well let's just say that I've had to become very perceptive about people because of reasons I'm afraid I can't explain. I could predict by the diction and syntax of her outburst as well as her body language the kind of childhood she experienced. Having known some people in similar situations, the only way I saw that would get my point across would be to follow the actions I just took.”

“Get your point across? How was that getting your point across?”

“Come on Weiss.” Said Yang. “Blake flipped out on him for practically no reason. He was just trying to answer a question and she started harping on him for it.”

“How can you defend him?” Said Weiss now directing her anger at Yang. “He had no right to go that far.”

“Please stop fighting…” Ruby said weakly but was not heard over the raised voices of her companions.

“Maybe he did go a bit far but you and I both know that she wouldn't have let this go until he spilled every detail. From one person with a bad past to another she should have considered how she would have reacted if she was in his place.” said Yang getting on the defensive.

“That still doesn't excuse his behavior!”

“Listen-” Said Pyrrha trying to intervene.

“What!?” Yelled Yang and Weiss simultaneously while moving their death stares from each other to her.

“Cobalt I understand that you felt like you were being interrogated and you were being pushed into a corner but you shouldn't have responded in such a manner. What you did crossed the line. You intentionally reversed the positions and began prying into her more than she was with you.”

“Hey I'm sorry I tried to defend myself!” Cobalt responded. “I don't mind opening up a little to meet new people, but when she overreacted to me trying to politely say I don't want to talk about it I snapped. It's because there's nothing that ticks me off more than someone who has no respect for the concealment of another's past! I thought I would show her just how I felt about the situation by bringing her into it as well!”

“Everyone please stop…” Said Ruby softly with tears beginning to form in her eyes. But she could still not be heard over the argument taking place.

“Pyrrha.” Said Jaune placing his hand on hers. “I think we all need to calm down. Blake inadvertently pushed his buttons and that was his reaction to it. We all have those sides of us and we just saw his early.”

“How can you defend him!” Said Pyrrha slapping his hand away. “Do you not hear the hypocrisy that spews from this man’s mouth!?”

“Well at least he wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing about it. He at least had the nerve to stick up for himself when she wrongfully accused him.”

“That wasn't sticking up for himself! He did not elevate himself to show that he was the better man! He decided to drag her down in order to be on top!”

“EVERYONE JUST STOP FIGHTING!” Screamed Ruby as she stood up to face the entire table. The table became silent as they all looked to face her. The image of Ruby’s face made them all felt deep pangs of guilt for fighting with each other. Ruby’s face had turned a soft pink. The red came from the anger of having such a ridiculous fight occur. The only reason it wasn't as red as her cape was that she paled at the sight in front of her. She was horrified that a single comment was enough to practically unravel the friendship of their two teams. Tears steadily falling down her face she looked in terror and despair at the sight laid before her. Ruby stood there for a moment only because of her anger willing her to yell at them once more but soon turned away and ran out of the cafeteria. Both Yang and Cobalt got up from their seats and called after Ruby asking her to come back. Yang took off as fast as she could to come to her sister’s aid, following a thin trail of petals left behind. Cobalt began to follow suit until a hand grabbed him in the arm preventing him from moving away from the table. He heard the voice of Weiss behind him saying “Oh no you don't. You're staying right here!”

“Unhand me you witch!” Yelled Cobalt as he tore his arm from her grasp. “Listen Ice Queen I may be cold sometimes but at least my heart is warm enough to try to go fix this. No icy touch of yours is going to stop me.”

Cobalt sprinted out of the room following the same path that Yang took. Running through the halls allowed Cobalt to have time to think to himself. “Why can't I have a civilized conversation with someone! Practically every time I speak I just seem to make things worse. That damned Cinder! Didn't she realize that I'm not cut out for this sort of thing. I mean this much has happened and I haven't even been here for a full twenty four hours! And why do I actually feel bad? I don't regret saying what I did but the fact that it upset Ruby makes me feel… odd. Damn that dream of mine! Why must it curse me!?” Cobalt made the final turn onto the hallway that held Ruby’s room. Looking down the room he saw Yang close a door slowly with a sad look on her face. Walking towards her she finally looked up and noticed him. “A fine mess I made hmm.” Said Cobalt as he leaned against the wall looking down. 

“Why are you here?” Said Yang softly.

With a sigh Cobalt looked up to say “Because it was me who made the mistake. Thus it is up to me to fix it.”

With suspicion Yang asked “Why are you doing this? I've seen your type before. Why do you care about what happens to her?”

After another sigh Cobalt avoided her gaze. Yang stood at just the angle to see above his blue tinted glasses and could see his eyes. He could not tell how but he could tell that she confirmed some question of hers when he lowered his face.

“It's because she's the first person to give a damn about me. Nobody has ever cared about what happened to me. So when she jumped in I was taken aback. Considering this is my mess I need to be the one to clean it up.” He did not count it as a lie if there was a little truth behind it. He was surprised by Ruby’s determination to impact this “Cobalt”. Even if it was just a persona he was playing she showed an awful lot of concern for him. Manners told him that he was supposed to return the friendliness she showed him. That meant he had to fix the problem whether he wanted to or not. It was his mess after all.

“Alright” said Yang as she crossed her arms and squinted at him. “She was expecting you to come eventually. Go on inside.” Yang said as began to walk back towards the cafeteria. 

Just before she could turn around the corner Cobalt turned around and said “I'm sorry for how I acted.”

Turning her head slightly right before she was about to disappear from sight she said “I'm not the one you need to say sorry towards.”

Cobalt turned back to the door to Ruby’s room and knocked. “May I come in?” He asked.

“Go ahead” he heard Ruby say weakly, sounding like she was trying to hold herself together as best as she could. Walking in the first thing that took him aback was the petals on the floor. They covered practically every surface available. Next was the incredibly unstable looking structures that could theoretically be called “bunk beds”. Then he saw Ruby laying on her side facing away from him in the most unstable bed of all. Cobalt walked over towards her bed and stared at it wondering if it could support his weight. “The bed will hold.” He heard her say while she glanced over towards him. So he hoisted himself up and sat down at the end of the bed with his legs hanging off of the edge. 

With a sigh Cobalt took off his glasses and rested them on the bedpost next to him. He hated that he was forced to do this for his job. He hated it even more because he actually felt a little guilty. Looking away from where she lay, he covered his face with a hand in resignation and said slowly and carefully “Listen Ruby. I… I messed up. I took things too hard and I screwed up. I took your kindness and returned it with disrespectful statements laced with guile and hatred. I can't ask for your forgiveness but I can at least explain my side of the story to you. I… I…”. That is when he was interrupted by a strange action. He felt something press up against his back. It was warm and felt comforting. He looked down slowly and saw arms wrapped around his shoulders. With a small squeeze Ruby said “You came to apologize and I can tell you meant it. That's what matters.” 

“But… But I-”

“Nope. I'm not hearing it. I know that Blake can be rough and mistrusting sometimes but you shouldn't respond to things like you did. But the fact that you're here and that you want to right your wrong means a lot. It means you can be helped. Sometimes all you need to start is just a simple hug.”

Cobalt began thinking. _“A hug huh. So this is what one is like. It feels… nice. I can't remember the last time I was hugged, if I ever was. But I had disregarded her and treated her friends like crap. I took her kindness and misused it. And yet she forgives me. Why?”_

“Why? Why do you forgive me so easily? How can you after how I have treated you and your friends?” Asked Cobalt turning around to see Ruby’s face. His face being inches away from her face he could see her features perfectly. Her eyes still had tears both fresh and ones that remained from the table’s outbursts. But yet in them he saw more love and compassion than he could have ever imagined the world holding.

“Because I see someone who has had to create a shield of rudeness and hate to live with the circumstances of their past. But I can see past that. I see a nice, loving person who cares for others deeply but is afraid of the pain it may give. But nobody should hide themselves like that. I understand it will take time but for as long as it takes I'll help.”

Ruby moved one of her hands towards Cobalt’s face to take away his hand hiding it and wipe away a tear. _“Wait a tear?”_ Cobalt thought. _“Holy crap I'm crying!?”_ Cobalt tried to return his hand to his face to wipe away any sign of him crying. He did not understand why he was or how he was. He had cried before but it was usually when one of his friends died, not for this. He could not understand anything. After all he was just acting to become friends to spy on them. He was using her for information. Information that could very well be used to end her life. So why did he care? Why was he feeling emotions he spent years nullifying? Why was all of his barriers put in place to prevent feeling emotion, even when ending another's life, suddenly broken by a single action? All these questions ran through his head as he began to feel himself slip and his self imposed blockade to his emotions break apart. 

Ruby chuckled softly and said “It's kind of cute how you try to cover your tears. But you don't have to anymore. I'm here for you and if you need to cry then cry. I won't judge you as weak. I'll view you as human.” With the end of that sentence Cobalt, still not knowing why, broke down into tears. Ruby took his head and rested it in between her head and shoulder while he let it out. Throughout the quiet sob that Cobalt had she would kiss his head and say “Just let it out” and “It'll be alright”. He felt as if she was an earthquake that broke a dam and let loose a wave of emotions that he did not realize was there. After a few minutes of this Cobalt was able to pull himself together. Lifting his head he looked into the eyes of the person who was able to see past his mask. The person he least expected to do so. The annoying brat that he had encountered so many times before was able to be the key to unlock himself. Staring into her loving and caring eyes he said “Thank you Ruby. For everything.” For once he actually meant it.


	9. Fun First Days

Cobalt walked into his room and threw his school work over towards his desk in the corner. Hearing it sprawl everywhere he could tell without looking that his shot did not come close. He just breathed a sigh of annoyance and walked over to his bed where he proceeded to plop down on it. He laid there for a few minutes to relax himself from the school day. Even with the map that Ruby had given him he still ended up late to practically everything and his professors were not taking it well. It was just another thing to add to his list of annoyances that had occurred in his first two days of school. Cobalt checked the time: it read 8:00 pm. He knew that he should work on his homework but he also knew that he was not going to. He did not care about school and just because he was being forced by Cinder to go here did not mean that she could change his mind. So to pass the time until he fell asleep he decided that he would look back upon the day's events and think of what he could have done better. It had all started the night before. 

Cobalt raised his hand, pointed at the door and said only two words. “Leave. Now.” He did his best to harden his face to express his seriousness and anger at Ruby for her outburst. From her reaction he found that it had worked better than he thought it would. After standing in the same position for a few minutes to withhold his anger he began to let it control him. Storming over to his door that Ruby left open he took the doorknob and began to slam the door. An inch away from doing so he froze. He knew that a slammed door would gather others attention, especially if they had just woken up from the sound of his fight with Ruby. Even in a fit of anger Cobalt knew how to control himself somewhat. He would not have survived so long in the underground if he did not. 

So he closed his door with care and proceeded to storm over to the bed farthest away from his. He took out his staff, extended it but did not run a charge through the barbs, and proceeded to whack the bed with great fury. He imagined that instead of the bed he was harming those who caused him great annoyance. Cinder was one as she always was since the day they met. He also imagined the faces of his professors who had given him detention after school for not being able to arrive to a single class on time. Even when he asked them for a map they denied him access to one. One professor even said “If you can't find your dorm room at least the cafeteria is always open”. Yeah a lot of good that did him. After several minutes of giving the bed a serious beating he finally was able to calm down enough to sheath his staff. He turned off the lights and walked over to his bed. He was ready to go to sleep in an actual bed and not a table that was hurting his back. He laid down and closed his eyes and just before he fell asleep he heard a small vibrating sound. Jolting up he extended his staff that he had hidden underneath his pillow and pointed it at the darkness surrounding the room. The electric barb illuminating the room he could detect no intruders. Getting up he turned the lights back on and was able to see the object from which the sound had originated. The sound was coming from his bag that he had left over by the desk. Then he remembered that he had left his own personal scroll in there. Saying the entry voice recognition code “Cinder is a bitch” he opened it to see who was calling. It had better have been good to call at this hour. It was Cinder. Answering it he heard “So how was the first day of school at Beacon for the esteemed student Cobalt Cyan?”

“Good enough that you better have a damn good reason for calling me.” Interrupted Cobalt with a hint of bitterness that always crept up in his conversations with her.

“Come now don't you remember what I told you earlier. You were here on an assignment and it's time you know what that is.”

“Really. You're telling me this now at let's see… Oh yes! Five o'clock in the morning.”

“Better late than never. You see we have some very special operations that need to be conducted at Beacon. We need information from the inside to have these operations run smoothly and successfully. That's where you come in.”

“And why exactly does ‘Your Majesty’ need to know about the inner workings of Beacon?

“You will learn in due time. For now just remain...observant…of anything that might be a complication to any and every possible operation.” With that Cinder hung up. Looking at his scroll Cobalt suddenly felt as if the bed had not received enough of a beating. So after another lashing Cobalt told himself that “it will all be better tomorrow” knowing that it was a lie. But it always helped him feel better going to sleep as a child and still did now. Returning to bed he fell asleep but his last thought before doing so was a wish that for once in his life that the lie he told himself would come true.

The morning had not fared much better either. After only a couple of hours of sleep he woke up to start a new day. It was seven o'clock and time for him to complete his morning routines. After spending forty five minutes getting dressed and completing personal hygiene, he was about to leave for breakfast until he remembered the calm and relaxing conversation he had with Ruby earlier that morning. Ruby. After cursing to himself about the fact that his dream came to mind he began pacing in front of the door. _“Should I go apologize to her? Oh please she's been a thorn in my side for who knows how long now. I should be celebrating her misery. But yet I feel…bad. What is this I'm feeling?”_ After a few minutes he realized just what he was feeling for the first time in a long time. It was guilt. _“Oh god why? I'm a criminal mastermind who has branches of my network throughout the entire world. I do not need to be feeling guilty just be cause I treated someone harshly!”_

He walked over to that one bed to complete another session of his newest anger management activity and imagined Ruby’s face on it this time. Bringing his staff down upon it he froze just before it made contact with the bed. He tried again and again but no matter how hard he tried he could not hit the bed if he imagined he was hitting Ruby. He brought his staff down upon his knee in order to break it and half and instead just brought great pain to his knee only causing more anger and frustration. With a sharply burning knee and an attitude of both anger and guilt, he walked out the door intending to do something to get rid of one of those feelings. Something he had not done in a long time. Of course the apology rid himself from guilt but not from anger which carried onwards towards breakfast and resulted in a not so perfect first impression with Ruby’s friends. All of that led to him giving another apology to Ruby and a series of events that followed that he still could not understand. 

Returning to the present he began to slap himself for his idiocy. _“Damn that Ruby!”_ He thought. _“Why did she do that? I know that for one I am not a person deserving of a hug. What she saw in my eyes is not the me that stands before others. She’s seeing the child who at age seven turned to a life of crime to survive. She needs to learn that side of me is dead. He died the day I committed my first murder. So why the hell did I cry!?”_ Unfortunately he could not believe the lie he told himself, that he did not enjoy being with her, as much as he wanted to. Once Cobalt’s cheeks were red from his self induced slapping he continued to look at how the rest of the day had gone. 

Staring into her loving and caring eyes he said “Thank you Ruby. For everything.” For once he actually meant it. They remained sitting there for what was only a few minutes but felt like ages. Neither one of them wanted to break their embrace but it was Cobalt who eventually conceded to do so. “As much as I wish to remain here with you doesn't class start in two minutes?” He said quietly.

“I'm willing to stay here as long as it takes.” Replied Ruby with a smile on her face.

“I don't want you to suffer any of the repercussions of my actions. The professors may be willing to forgive you for being late but their forgiveness in me just ran out yesterday.” He said with a longing sigh. She knew that he was right and released her hold on him. Both of them just remained still, neither one wanting to leave. Cobalt once again took the initiative and got down from the bed. He walked towards the door and glanced back at Ruby to say “Thank you” before he left. Walking down the hall he continued on till about halfway down when he stopped. He stood there collecting himself. He had never experienced something like that before. She had somehow seen an actual caring person in him. _“But oh how very wrong she is.”_ He thought. Unknown to him a tear fell as he began to walk away with a smile. That is until a red flash streaming rose petals blew past him. Then he remembered his own words about how he now has less than a minute to get to class. Just in accordance with the luck he had been having he did not get to class on time. This pattern continued throughout the day for each of his classes. After each scolding from his professors, Cobalt continued on practically numb to everything else. He continued to just go through the motions of the day but he always had the morning’s events in mind. The memory would play over and over again. 

Cobalt then jolted back into reality from the sound of his school scroll vibrating. Checking it he saw a reminder he had set for himself to do his work. _“Like that'll ever happen. I sure must have been off to have set this”_ Cobalt thought to himself. _“Alright Roman you can't keep telling yourself this lie. You liked being with her. You liked every second you spent with her and didn't want to leave. But why? She is resurfacing emotions that will only cause harm to you once you get out of here. So why am I continuing to do this?”_ Cobalt got up and began pacing and began to scold himself. _“Why? Why am I going through with this? I shouldn't be feeling these emotions. So why do I enjoy it? Don't you remember what happened last time you stuck your neck out for someone! Last time you cared for someone! I should be plotting to kill her not whatever this is! And remembering that stupid damn dream isn't helping!"_ Slumping down against the door he took several deep breaths to calm himself. _“As much of a bad situation this puts me in I think I'll just see where this goes before I make a final decision. I can technically count this as part of my mission since I'm sure to find more out from her that I would spending my time in here. Besides, if I start caring for someone I'm sure things won't end up like they did with…her.”_ Cobalt’s expression suddenly became very somber with that dark memory having arisen. He felt the room’s temperature drop as goosebumps covered his body. Getting up he felt weak as blood rushed away from his head. He made his way to his bed and tried to fall asleep. He should not have remembered her. Doing so always brought him nightmares and hangovers. Remembering that he left his flask in his apartment he breathed a deep sigh. So he closed his eyes ready to face the horror he had watched over and over again. Just before he fell asleep he whispered a name to himself. 

_"Ruth."_


	10. A Peculiar Week

“Now class I shall share to you a grand tale of an adventurous young hunter, myself.” Began Professor Port with what Ruby supposed was a smile but could not be sure because his mustache always covered his mouth. “You see back then my muscles were incredible and I had the strength of ten men. So I set out, alone, into a forest full to the brim with Grimm and then I blah blah blabbity blah blah blah.” Ruby heard nothing but “blahs” spewing from Professor Port’s mouth for the rest of the class. She did not mind the class itself. It's just the fact that instead of actually teaching things Professor Port did nothing but tell over-exaggerated stories from his adventures when he was in his youth. It was especially hard to pay attention because this was also her last class of the day and then she was going the rest of the Friday evening with Cobalt. _“Even daydreaming has to be more productive than this”_ she thought. So she began reviewing the past week’s events. A lot had happened in a week's time.

On Monday she met a new student named Cobalt. Due to curiosity she ended up making their first introduction be a sparring match where Cobalt emerged the victor. But what she found was the most interesting about him is how his eyes contrasted his character. He acted like an egotistical jerk to people but his blue tinted glasses hid his eyes which beckoned for someone to care for. They had reminded Ruby of her father who became distant and emotionally disconnected to the world after her mother died. But this time she felt like she could break him out of that state. Unlike her father who had been in that trance for so long that he could not be helped she could free him before it completely overtook him. Of course she had not meant to have their first civil conversation, if one could call it that, in the cafeteria at 4:30am. She also did not mean to bring up how he was hiding himself so quickly. She knew things like that would take time but how he just shrugged of the terrible misfortune of his team just struck her deep. But she had, at least for a single moment, gotten through to him which lit a spark of hope inside Ruby because it meant that he could still be helped. That morning she vowed to herself to free him from his self-imposed prison.

Tuesday had been even more eventful than Monday. Ruby literally ran into Cobalt on the way towards breakfast. Apparently he had a small change of heart from the words she told him earlier. He had come to apologize which the fact that he would do that had shocked her. She then created an attempt to bring him into a social area to which he could learn to open up some. But she could not have possibly imagined a worse way for the conversation to have gone when he joined her friends. It all led to her running off to her room with Yang and Cobalt close behind. For better or worse Yang arrived first and was able to talk to Ruby uninterrupted for some time.

Ruby ran into the room completely disregarding all the petals from earlier as she ran directly to her bed. She curled up there in a fetal position facing the wall just wishing that she could hide from this. After a few minutes she heard someone open the door. She could tell by the sound of the shoes hitting the floor that it was Yang. She heard Yang walk over and springs compress as she sat down on one of the beds. “Well that was fun.” She said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. Ruby only responded with a sigh. “Look I'm concerned for your wellbeing with this. I know you said that he was hurting and that he had the eyes of dad but I'm the only one you've told that to right?” Ruby just nodded her head enough that Yang could tell. She was afraid that if she said anything then she would only get more upset. Yang continued on. “Well the others don't know that. They don't know that you see a loving, caring person in him. They only see the egotistical jerk that he's made himself out to be.” After a long pause Yang said “I only defended him because of two reasons. The first of which was that Blake had acted more aggressive and mistrusting than normal. But the main reason was because I know that you have set for yourself this lofty goal of helping him. I know you want to help him and to prevent him from becoming like dad but be careful of what you do. Every action you take has repercussions and if you are able to help him then that's great. Just don't sacrifice what you have in order to do so.”

“Yang I know I can help him. I know I can.”

“Of that I have no doubt but just be careful of what you do to help him. Another case like what happened at breakfast just now and people will begin to view you differently because you still think highly of him. Are you sure he really is like how you view him?”

“Yes I am.”

“It's just that only you have been able to see him in that way. I've known plenty of people who would make others fall for them only to dump them just when the relationship gets going for nothing but laughs. From the little time that I've spent with him I can tell that he has a silver tongue. I just want you to be cautious about that.”

“He isn't making this up. Wait, what?”

“I'm just trying to say be cautious. Besides if he breaks your heart then I'll break him.”

“Break my heart?” Ruby asked quizzically. She had no idea what her sister meant by that.

“Ruby I'm your older sister and it's my job to look out for you. I can tell what you're feeling fairly well and even sometimes before you're aware that you're feeling it. I can see that you're beginning to form an attachment to him. Just make sure that it's not misplaced.”

“Alright I will?” Said Ruby confused as to what her sister meant by that statement.

“Good. I'm going to head back to breakfast to make sure our teammates aren't at each other's throats anymore. I heard Cobalt running behind me. If I see him do you want me to tell him that he can come in?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, just make sure you still get to class on time.” Said Yang as she walked out the door.

Shortly afterwards Cobalt knocked on the door and said “May I come in?”

“Go ahead.” Replied Ruby hearing her own voice shake as she was still trying to calm down. Still facing the wall she could hear him come in. Based off of his slow movements she guessed that he was asking himself questions about the petals, the bunk beds or both. Hearing him stop by her side of the bed she assumed that he was wondering how the bed was holding and whether or not it would hold him. She glanced over at him to say “The bed will hold.” She could feel the bed shake as he got up and sat on the edge of it. She heard him sigh and then say “Listen Ruby. I… I messed up. I took things too hard and I screwed up. I took your kindness and returned it with disrespectful statements laced with guile and hatred. I can't ask for your forgiveness but I can at least explain my side of the story to you. I… I…”. That is when she acted on impulse. As with all people who she sees are upset, Ruby decided that maybe giving him a hug would help. So she sat up to scoot over and gave him a hug over his shoulders from his back. With a small squeeze Ruby said “You came to apologize and I can tell you meant it. That's what matters.” 

“But… But I-”

“Nope. I'm not hearing it. I know that Blake can be rough and mistrusting sometimes. But you shouldn't respond to things like you did. But the fact that you're here and that you want to right your wrong means a lot. It means you can be helped. Sometimes all you need to start is just a simple hug.”

Even from the back of his head she could practically see the gears turning in his head. Based off of his stiffness she came to the conclusion that he did not receive hugs anywhere near as much as he should have. He seemed caught off guard and she could tell that his mind was racing as to why she did such a thing.

“Why? Why do you forgive me so easily? How can you after how I have treated you and your friends.” Said Cobalt as he turned around to see her face. The first thing she noticed was how he no longer wore his glasses. Even if he held a hand trying to hide his expressions he was still exposing more of his face than ever before. It was different somehow. His face had always appeared cold, distant and emotionless. But now with his face inches away from hers, she could see a much different image. In the one she saw now she saw emotion. Pure emotion of practically every form. This must be what he had hidden and pushed down. By how much she saw he must have been the way he is now for a large portion of his life. She saw happiness, joy and love. But she also saw an abnormal amount of anger, fear, shame, anxiety, envy and sadness. He must have gone through many unknown horrors to achieve this much negative emotion.

Ruby then said “Because I see someone who has had to create a shield of rudeness and hate to live in the circumstances of their past. But I can see past that. I can see a nice, loving person who cares for others deeply but is afraid of the pain it may give. But nobody should hide themselves like that. I understand it will take time but for as long as it takes I'll help.” Ruby then moved one of her hands towards Cobalt’s face to take away his hand hiding it and wipe away a tear. He franticly and almost comically tried to wipe away any sign of him crying. Ruby chuckled softly and said “It's kind of cute how you try to cover your tears. But you don't have to anymore. I'm here for you and if you need to cry then cry. I won't judge you as weak. I'll view you as human.” With the end of that sentence he broke down into tears. Ruby took his head and rested it in between her head and shoulder while he let it out. Throughout the quiet sob that he had Ruby would kiss his head and say “Just let it out” and “it'll be alright”. After a few minutes of this Cobalt was able to pull himself together. He then lifted his head and looked a Ruby right in the eyes. She saw much pain but also thankfulness.

“Thank you Ruby. For everything.”

They ended up having to break up the touching moment for class as much as Ruby just wanted to stay there. She could tell that she made an impact on him. He appeared in a daze for the rest of the day. For the remaining two meals he moved back to his original spot across the room as to not cause any more trouble. It disappointed her but she knew it was for the best right now. 

Tuesday evening was also eventful. When the team was getting ready for bed Blake had asked if they could have a team meeting. She had seemed rather concerned about it so they complied. Ruby was laying down on her bed fortunate that her bed was at just the right angle. She wouldn't fall off but could easily see Blake on the bottom bed across from her. Weiss was sitting down on her bunk, sitting up straight with her hands on her lap as if this was a meeting of the four kingdoms’ rulers. Yang was up on her bunk with her head hanging over the edge to listen in. Blake was rapidly tapping her foot and fumbling with her hands.

“If you wanted to say something then just go ahead and say it.” Said Weiss.

“Well… You see…” Began Blake. Taking a deep breath she was able to relax herself enough to speak clearly. “I suppose I should explain myself for this morning’s outburst. I really am sorry for that.”

“Blake are you alright?” Said Yang as she saw Blake get more on edge with each passing moment.

“Well I was angry about something else and I took that anger out on Cobalt. I'm sorry about that. I had just found out that Torchwick had escaped from prison.” Blake said heavily. Ruby gasped and heard the others do so to at the shocking news. The room’s temperature dropped as all of their fears of him came back. Ruby could feel goosebumps spread all over her. Roman Torchwick was free. The man that they had spent so long hunting down just slipped through their fingers. Ruby was most worried about Blake though. Blake had for a while decided that she wouldn't sleep until they caught him. Looking at the faces of her teammates, Ruby saw that each and every one of them was horrified by the news but they all had expressions of concern directed at Blake. Noticing those expressions she looked down at the ground and said “You all don't have to worry about me like that. I won't do that again.”

Somewhat relieved Weiss asked the question that was on all of their minds. “So how did you find out?” 

“I had received a message from Ozpin on my scroll yesterday that once I was done with all my classes to head to his office and to not tell anyone where I was going. So I did. When I got there he had a grim expression on his face. He told me to sit down and then explained the situation with Torchwick. He said that the news has not been released to the public to prevent panic so secrecy was of the essence. That's why he only told me. He thought that calling all of you up would bring too much attention. He remarked about the reason as to why he would tell me is that he knew that our drive to bring him to justice would be more effective than the police force of Vale. He told me to tell all of you and I was waiting for the right time but considering my outburst now is probably the best time. I'm sorry.”

“For what-” Began Ruby.

“For all the trouble I caused!” Interrupted Blake. “I was too scared to tell you all last night and I vented my anger on someone who was just introducing himself! I heard what happened after I left too. I'm sorry I made you all fight.”

“Come on Blake did you really think that something like that could create a rift between all of us? It's nothing. Periodic arguments are natural.” Said Weiss.

“Yeah Blake. It's all water under the bridge now.” Said Yang. “What do you all think of this idea? How about we twice a week we go patrolling the city for Torchwick. I know it's not much but we would at least be working towards taking him down. But Blake if we do this you need to promise all of us that you will take care of yourself. You scared us last time.”

“Alright. I promise.”

“You know I can go and get my father’s shipping records. Then we can see when new shipments of dust are coming in and have a better chance of finding him.” Said Weiss.

“I like it!” Said an excited Ruby as she jumped down from her bed. “Let's make a pact! We will take Torchwick down no matter what! Hands in everybody.” Everyone complied with her request because they knew that telling her no would not stop her. “Go team RWBY!” On that high note they agreed to plan the details of their little operation the following morning.

Not too much occurred on Wednesday compared to the previous few days. At breakfast Cobalt came back to the table to apologize for his actions towards Blake which she then apologized to him for her outburst. The tension at the table was relieved but was still there. So he made do with sitting right next to Ruby and would only speak when spoken to so he could avoid unwanted confrontations. He kept the same outward attitude but it would disappear when he was near her. Ruby noticed that he would go out of his way to speak with her in between their classes and when doing so he would drop his tough guy act and open up some. He was willing to laugh and smile as they talked over so many things from Nora’s odd reactions to certain things to what mess up did Jaune do today. Whenever she heard his laugh or saw him smile it made her feel special. Even though she had only known him for a few days she felt like she had made a real difference in him.

Thursday morning was a bit of a drag. Ruby was so tired from the stakeout that they went on last night that she could not do much that morning. They had agreed on Monday and Wednesday nights but never put into effect a time limit. Ruby left a mental reminder to discuss that the next time she could because she was not staying up that late again. But she spent most of the day thinking about and talking to Cobalt. He may be the same harsh person to everyone else but when he was with her he was beginning to show his true colors. Ruby had just wanted him to be who he really was and that was going to be reward enough for her. But she got much more than that. Although nobody else could see it he had a caring heart. He was beginning to become a really close friend and someone she could rely on to brighten up her day. Apparently people had begun to notice how much time she would spend with him though. That night her teammates decided to ask her about it.

Ruby had just gotten in her pajamas and was about to go to bed when she noticed an atmosphere of unease emanating from her fellow teammates. None of them spoke but yet they all looked like they wanted too. Having just laid down in her bed, Ruby could not take the steadily building tension in the atmosphere and said “Alright can anyone tell me what's going on? You all look like you want to say something but don't want to at the same time. It's confusing.” Nobody spoke but all of them avoided their gazes from Ruby. “Is everything alright?” Began Ruby with a tone of worry having crept in that increased with every word. “Did I do something wrong?”

Yang was the first to look towards Ruby and said “No Ruby, you didn't do anything wrong. We're just worried and concerned for you.”

“What for?”

The ice queen with her heart of stone decided that they should just flat out tell Ruby instead of constantly giving hints that Ruby would not understand. She was never one to beat around the bush. “It's because of that lousy Cobalt that you keep hanging around with.”

“Hey! He's not lousy.”

“Oh please. He never turns in any of his work, he never arrives to class on time, he never has any drive to work and his grades are showing. He's like the opposite of Jaune. He has fighting ability but no motivation to be a hunter. It would be better for you to just exclude him from your life before he brings anyone else down with him.”

“How can you say that? He's our friend.”

“He's your friend. Not ours. I don't know what you see in him but whatever it is you're the only one who can see it. I mean you treat him like you've known him for years when this is the fourth day you've known of his existence.”

“So what if it is?”

Blake finally spoke up and said “It just seems improbable that you would be able to befriend him so quickly. It's concerning us. We've all seen from the few times he's spoken to us that he has a silver tongue. We just want to make sure you haven't fallen for the lies of someone and get hurt.”

“He's not lying.”

“We just don't want to see you get hurt.” Said Yang. “We know that when someone falls in love with another person they can sometimes be blinded to the other's faults no matter how many or major they are.”

“Wait. What?”

Yang’s face blushed as she realized what she just said. With Ruby’s confused glare and Blake and Weiss’s death stares aimed at her, Yang jumped up into her bed and yelled out “Night!” in order to avoid the awkward situation she put herself in. Having the awkward situation been pushed off towards Blake and Weiss they both ended the conversation with quick “Night!”s. As much as Ruby wanted to question them further they were clearly too busy trying to fake being asleep and Ruby knew she would not be able to get any more out of them. “When someone falls in love with another? They think I'm in love!? If only they hadn't backed out so quickly and then I would've been able to explain that I'm not. Cobalt is just a friend, isn't he?”

Friday morning that is all she could think about. There was an uncomfortable silence as they could all tell what was on each other’s minds but yet nobody wanted to bring up such a topic once more. _“Do I have feelings for him? I've never felt attraction towards another in that way though. What is it supposed to be and how am I supposed to know if I do or don't?”_ These sort of thoughts ran rampant through her head as the day began to progress. While heading towards weapon management, which was her only class that Ruby attended and the rest of her team did not, she decided that when she met up with Cobalt she would create an opportunity to answer her questions. Seeing him wait for her at the corner she called out to him having trouble getting to him because of the crowd. Finally there she said “So Cobalt I was wondering…” 

“Yes.”

Messing with the end of her skirt and unable to make eye contact Ruby said “I was wondering if you wouldn't mind to…” She began to blush as she began thinking about it. _“This is only supposed to be a fun get together. So why am I so worried? What if he says no?”_

“I was wondering whether or not you would like me to show you around Vale tonight? I know you came from Atlas so I thought that maybe taking a tour of Vale could be fun.”

“That sounds like it'll be fun. I'll join you. How about tonight at eight in front of the school?”

“That will do. I'll see you then.”

With that the plan was put into effect, Ruby spent the rest of the day planning just what places she could take him. She wasn't going to tell him her plans in order to have each place be a surprise. She was just working on a final location to end the night when the bell rang. Snapping out of her memory, Ruby heard Professor Port once again being forced to stop by the bell.

“And then I grabbed the Beowolf with my bare hands and… Oh um it appears we have ran out of time today students. This weekend’s reading is chapter fourteen of ‘The Grimm’. Class dismissed.” 

Ruby practically ran out the door in excitement. She was going to be able to show him all the shops, restaurants and entertainment available in Vale. Just the thought of it made her almost shout with glee. Ruby ran back into the room to change out of the school uniform and drop off her books. Ruby had gotten her dress with her red hood and combat skirt and was about to leave until she remembered Yang, Blake and Weiss. Ruby hastily wrote out a note explaining where she was going, who with, how long they were going to be out and the fact that she is bringing Crescent Rose with her to release any possible worries that they might have. She left it on her bed in a very visible spot where she knew they would find it. Then off Ruby ran to meet Cobalt, ready for a night of fun and delight to perfectly end the week.


	11. A Night of Fun and Delight

“So enlighten me as to what your plans for the two of us are for this evening.” Said Cobalt as the red flash running towards him finally slowed down and stopped where he stood. She was in her classic black dress and red hood that she wore back when they first met. Thinking about it Cobalt realized that applied to their first meeting both him as himself and the Cobalt character he had to play. 

“Oh come on that would ruin the surprise. Just follow me.” Said Ruby with a large smile while she grabbed his hand and zoomed off. Cobalt blushed at their hands making contact and felt his heart hammering in his chest. He was not quite sure whether it was from her or the ever increasing speed they were moving at. She began running faster and faster to the point that Cobalt could not keep up. He tripped and fell and closed his eyes expecting his face to collide with the concrete. After five seconds with no collision he opened his eyes and gasped. The first thing he saw was all the lights of the city rushing past and all around him. He had grown up in the city and was used to seeing the lights that lit it but at such a speed they were nothing but lines streaking past him. They gave him an ethereal feeling as if he was one with the air around him as they glistened with beauty. The next thing he noticed after seeing the aesthetic lights was the fact that he was not touching the ground. He was completely immersed in Ruby’s slipstream. Cobalt did not expect this form of transportation. He expected something more simple and natural such as walking so they could enjoy the evening air. Flying by in the slipstream of a human bullet was not something he had planned for. He knew that her semblance was speed but did not know just how exactly how fast she could move. The air rushing past him he tried to speak only to end up with a bug flying into his mouth thus ensuring his silence for the rest of the trip. Even though he was unable to speak and was coughing horribly, he was still able to gaze at the beauty around him. He spent the rest of the run looking at Ruby. From his position directly behind Ruby it appeared as if all the light sprouted from her. That all the beauty and life in the world started with her. After what felt like a minute but yet also hours he saw her slow down. When she finally slowed enough for Cobalt’s feet to touch the ground he was barely able to catch himself. Eventually coming to a stop the first thing that he did was kneel down to cough up that bug.

“Cobalt are you alright?!” Said Ruby who knelt down beside him as he coughed.

Trying to recover himself Cobalt said while coughing in between words “What. The. Hell. Was. That?”

“Sorry! I just knew it would have been faster that way and we wouldn't have time if we didn't.”

“No, no.” Started Cobalt. Finally being able to breathe properly again he said “Really Ruby I'm not upset. That was fantastic! I've never done anything like that before. Everything I saw was beautiful. The buildings, people, lights and you.” Recalling what he just said Cobalt began to blush heavily and so did Ruby. Trying to avoid further discussion about his comment he put a hand behind his head and looked away awkwardly saying “So you had plans for us tonight. What's first on your agenda?”

“I wanted to show you the best restaurant of Vale.”

“Very well. I take it that this is it.” Said Cobalt as he looked up towards the neon sign.

“Yup. The Chatue. Come on let's go eat.” Said Ruby as she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward right behind her as she ran inside. As soon as he walked in he was taken aback from the smell of greasy food. He was expecting that an establishment with such a name as _The Chatue_ would be some form of eloquent, high class eatery. Instead he had just walked into a crowded, diner style burger joint. A waiter soon came up to them and had them seated. Looking at the menu Cobalt saw nothing but oversized burgers and sides of large proportions.

“Isn't this a little over the top?” Said Cobalt with his smug smile of his.

“Oh I'm sorry if this isn't your kind of restaurant.” Said Ruby looking down with her shoulders slumping.

“No, no.” Said Cobalt with a chuckle. “I just find the name ironic. From outside it looked like a fine eatery but it's actually a burger joint. Really it is quite alright. Just… Unexpected. You wanted to surprise me and you did.” Just then their waiter came over to take their orders. 

“May I take your order?”

“Ladies first.”

“I'll have the half pound Angus burger with everything. I'll take fries with that as well. Oh and water too.”

“Very well then. Sir what will you have?”

“I'll have… You know what surprise me. For a drink I'll just have water as well.” The waiter then took their menus away and returned with their drinks. With a drink finally able to wash that bug taste out of his mouth Cobalt was able to talk comfortably again. “Ruby do you have any idea just how large that burger will be?”

“That's why I got it. I'm really hungry.”

“Yes but there is a difference between being hungry and having not have eaten anything for two weeks.”

“Oh Cobalt trust me it's alright. It's what I usually get.”

Doing a spit take to the side Cobalt said “You eat those on a regular basis?! How do you maintain that small frame of yours?!”

“Hey I'm not small.”

“I meant that you are very thin.” After a long pause where neither one quite knew what to say Cobalt decided to change the subject. “So tell me what is it that made you want to become a huntress?”

Slightly taken aback by such a serious question Ruby said “Well when I was a child I would be read all those fairy tales of great hunters and huntresses. I had always wanted to be just like them. Always there to help others. Even when all seemed lost they would always get back up and continue fighting. To make sure that there is a happy ending.”

Cobalt saw how she had stared off into the distance when talking about it as she was envisioning it. _“As noble of a dream as that is I'm sorry to say that we don't live in a fairy tale. I know it may crush your heart but we all need to wake up at some point.”_ Thought Cobalt. “That is very admirable. I wish all of those in our profession could have goals like yours.”

“Well what is your motivation? What do you want to get out of being a hunter?”

“Me? Well… I suppose I haven't thought about it much. Let's just say that a wealthy benefactor saw something in me that nobody else did. To get me out of the rut I was in this was part of the deal.”

Just then their waiter arrived with their meal. Ruby’s burger was just as large if not bigger than what Cobalt had predicted. He had received a normal, ordinary looking burger. The waiter then said to him “I present to you the _Molten Ravine_.”

“The Molten Ravine? Why do they call it that?” Said Cobalt as the waiter left.

“Just try it. I'm sure you'll find out then.” Said Ruby. Something about her eyes concerned him. They looked exciting and anticipating but yet she was trying to seem uninterested. Very cautiously Cobalt decided to take a small bite. The reason as to why it was called _Molten Ravine_ was evidently clear. He tried desperately to hold back the tears that had arisen. Finishing his bite with every chew more painful than the last he chugged his glass of water. 

“Dear God! That's ruthless!” He was interrupted by Ruby’s fit of laughter. “Well I'm glad you found it so funny! I don't know if I'll be able to taste again!”

“Sorry. Really.” Said Ruby continuing her fit of laughter. “It's just a tradition here for whenever someone asks to be surprised that they get that. Nothing is funnier than watching people's reactions to eating that.”

“I say that was really something there. Is there anything else that is like that? Any more surprises? Are the fries spicy as well?”

“No trust me they're fine.” Said Ruby finally calming down. “Look I have one to prove it to you.” Ruby took one fry and ate with no observable change in expression. Cobalt then took a fry and ate it only to find himself breathing fire once more.

“Ruby!” Yelled Cobalt as she erupted into another fit of laughter. “How can you eat that and not cringe!”

“Try eating red dust. After that nothing will faze you.”

“Dear lord. Now why would you try to eat red dust?”

“Yang once gave me a doughnut that had red sugar on top. It wasn't red sugar.”

Now it was Cobalt’s turn to laugh. Tears forming in his eyes he said “That is pure genius. I am so going to have to do that to a few acquaintances of mine.” 

They continued their meal with Cobalt eating what he could and every bite receiving a laugh from Ruby. They talked about a multitude of other things such as their grades, assignments, interesting people they knew, funny stories of the past. The evening had become a night full of laughter and enjoyment. They finished, well Ruby finished and Cobalt ate as much as he could, and Cobalt paid the check. Ruby complained saying that she should since she pulled that joke on him but he insisted. “Remember that rich benefactor of mine I mentioned. Trust me they have more than enough to cover such a charge as low as this. This is pocket change to them.” So they continued on with the night with Ruby taking the lead. He was thankful that they did not travel using her semblance as he was fairly certain that he would lose his meal if she had. Stores lit up showing new goods and foods surrounded them but Ruby paid no attention to them. She kept moving him forward through the crowd towards some other food store. Finally making it to the store Cobalt saw the sign and was horrified. It read “Preston’s Bakery” and had a picture of a steaming cookie just next to the title.

“Dear God why?” Cobalt grabbed Ruby by her shoulders and said “I know you love cookies but you need to understand that there is a difference between buying a dessert and liquidating their inventory!” 

“Oh come on it'll be fine. Come on let's go.” Cobalt hung his head in resignation and followed her in. As soon as he walked in he was overwhelmed by an almost sickly sweet scent. Cookies and fresh breads lined the shelves on both sides with a viewing glass in the center for a variety of freshly made and much decorated cakes. The baker would run back and forth between the kitchen in the back to the cashier to serve customers. On his way back to the cashier he saw Ruby inside and immediately had a face of annoyance. He yelled out to her saying “Not you again. I told you I'm not going through what happened last time. You only get ten items max. No exceptions.” 

Cobalt turned to face Ruby and asked “Might I ask as to why you personally have an item limit?”

“Remember when you said not to liquidate his inventory.”

“You didn't.”

“Yeah I kind of ate all their sweets and they had to close for a week.”

Massaging his temple in annoyance Cobalt said “You know what I don't want to know more. I'll let you choose one cookie for me and it had better not be spicy.”

“Alright.” Said Ruby with a smile. After five minutes of choosing sweets and relentlessly asking the baker questions she finally bought the cookies and they left. It was just about time too with Cobalt growing fearful of the ever growing vein appearing on the baker’s head. They continued to walk through the night with Ruby wolfing down her cookies. The angle of the moon gave him an eerie feeling of déjà vu from when she first led him to his room the night he had arrived. Turning a corner she saw a large cinema that they appeared to be walking towards.

“Here's your cookie.” Said Ruby. Cobalt had actually forgotten about it as his mind had become lost in his moment of déjà vu. Taking the cookie he saw that it looked plain with orange icing. It looked simple and unappealing. Taking a small bite out of fear that it was another joke he found that it was very delicious. It was very sweet, almost sickly so.

“Ruby may I ask as to why you picked this particular cookie?” 

“It reminded me of you.”

“Well I understand the whole orange icing, orange hair thing.”

“It was more than that.”

“Excuse me?”

“The baker told me that even though it did not look very sweet on the outside the inside revealed its inner sweetness.” Said Ruby still looking ahead. Cobalt still followed close behind taking in what she said. He understood what she was implying but didn't know how to respond. She was right he withheld some emotion but that is what made him who he was. It's what made him good at what he did. So he wasn't sure how to look at the situation. But when she turned around to see that he had finished his cookie she laughed. That laugh. It had become one of his favorite sounds he could hear. With that sound he knew which path he would take. _“It wouldn't hurt to be a little more open could it?”_ He thought. Cobalt spoke up and said “Why are you laughing?

“A little bit of icing is left above your lip and it looks like you have a mustache.” Said Ruby laughing. 

Pulling out his scroll he looked at his face from the camera. She was right there was a large line of icing spread across his upper lip that made it appear as if he had a mustache. He gave the camera side looks and different facial expressions to check it out but that only made Ruby laugh even more. “You know I had always wondered what I would look like with a mustache. Do you like it?”

“It looks ridiculous.” Said Ruby still laughing.

“You wound me.” Said Cobalt grasping his cloak by his heart and grasped it like her words physically hurt. Ruby responded by taking a napkin from the bakery and trying to wipe it off his face. Cobalt kept on avoiding the napkin using his height to his advantage.

“Come on. I'm just trying to wipe your face.”

“I like it. I don't want to.”

“Stop being so stubborn.”

“I'm not being stubborn. My mustache and I are just enjoying our time together.”

“Just let me get it.”

“Let me think about it. No.” After another few minutes of Ruby trying to wipe his face and failing he finally conceded and licked it off. “You happy now?”

“Yes.” Said Ruby pouting.

“Now since we've stopped right in front of a cinema I assume that you had a movie planned. Am I right on that?”

“Oh right the movie! We're going to be late! Come on!” Said Ruby practically dragging Cobalt into the theater. They stopped by the ticket booth to quickly buy two tickets to The Huntress and the Beowolf.

“I have never heard of this film. Might I ask what it is about?”

“It's a comedy where a huntress is able to befriend a Beowolf and they go on lots of funny adventures! I read the reviews and they said it was amazing so I'm so excited!” Said Ruby spinning in excitement.

“Alright, alright now let's get going. We don't want to be late now do we?” Cobalt said. He started walking towards the theater rooms when he looked back and saw Ruby in the snack line. “Seriously! You're still hungry?!”

“Yeah. I'm just getting some popcorn.”

“How in the blazes are you still hungry after all that you've eaten? Were those nine cookies and a burger not enough?”

“Oh don't worry this will be really quick.” Ten minutes later Ruby met up with Cobalt by the room.

“Real quick you said. We're going to be late.”

“Just relax we're right outside the showing room. We're right on time.” The two of them walked in and took their seats. Both of them tripped once or twice since the lights had already dimmed but eventually took their seats in one of the center rows. Just as they sat down the movie began. It started off completely black and showed a car driving in the rain with the names of the directors and producers appearing onscreen. It eventually faded black and the words _The Endless Torment_ appeared onscreen. Ruby rose from her seat and grabbed Cobalt’s hand. “Come on let's go. We must have walked into the wrong movie.” Cobalt got up and followed after Ruby. That is until he heard a whisper that made his blood run cold and freeze in his tracks. “Help me.” It said. It was a quiet whisper, just barely audible, but there all the same. He heard it again. Looking towards the screen very slowly he saw a young, blond girl standing underneath a man dressed all in black. She had blood covering her and appeared to be missing an arm with it over on the other side of the room. He could quietly hear Ruby calling him. Ruby’s cries for him eventually faded away and he didn't even notice she was shaking him anymore. All he could see was that girl on the screen with her arm outstretched calling for his help. He saw the man raise an axe above his head about to bring it down. Looking back down to the blond girl he did not see her. What he saw instead was a red haired and green eyed face, one he never thought he would see again. One he never wanted to see again. She called out for him once more before he saw the axe fall. It hit her in the back with blood erupting into the air as she screamed. A horrible, terrifying scream. But it was her scream that was certain. The axe came down again and again every time more blood covering her and more screams. All he could do was stand there in terror as she lay dying. He reached out to grab her hand and just before they met the axe came down on her head. Her arm fell limp. She had died. Cobalt in tears then began screaming. Screaming about how it was not fair and why did she have to die. He then turned and ran. He did not see anyone else in the theater and he ran. He ran out into the street and fell to his knees. He felt sick and he threw up his cookie and his dinner from earlier. Leaning back looking up at the sky he cried. He began crying as there was nobody surrounding him. Nobody near him, nobody close to him. He cried as he knew that the one person who used to be was now dead. In a silent cry he whispered her name.

“Ruth.”


	12. Ruth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter has heavy amounts of blood and gore. You have been warned. This is why this fic is rated M as of the moment I'm posting this.

Ruby walked into the theater room holding her overpriced tub of popcorn with Cobalt by her side. The night had gone so well. She was having a great time and Cobalt seemed like he was too. There had been several points where she felt that there was something going on that was making them more than just friends. As much as the idea frightened her she could not ignore what she was feeling. She left a mental reminder to talk to him about it once their evening was over. Right now she was going to enjoy a hilarious comedy with him. 

Of course they did arrive a little late so it was a bit tricky finding seats due to the darkness and the several times each of them tripped. They ended up sitting down somewhere in the center of the theater. She instantly began wolfing down her popcorn earning a smirk from Cobalt. The movie started playing but something was wrong. It was not the happy and uplifting opening of _The Huntress and the Beowolf_. The opening was strange with some car driving in the rain. Then the screen went black and the title _The Endless Torment_ appeared. They had apparently walked into the wrong showing room. Ruby got up to try to leave and called to Cobalt saying “Come on let's go. We must have walked into the wrong movie.” She saw him get up and she began walking towards the stairs. 

Making it to the stairs she turned around to see him frozen halfway through. She whispered to him “Come on Cobalt. This is the wrong movie so we need to go now.” His gaze remained transfixed upon the screen. He looked like her words did not even register themselves to him. He just stood there with his gaze constantly facing the screen. Ruby walked back towards him and grabbed his hand and pulled. He would not budge. She then grabbed his shoulders shaking him as much as she could saying “Cobalt snap out of it! It's just a movie! It's not real!” His expression did not change. Out of desperation she slapped him. The slap knocked off his glasses. She then saw that his eyes were full of absolute terror as silent tears fell. 

Ruby began to panic. She grabbed his head in order to turn it away from the screen with no success. “Cobalt look at me! Look at me please! Cobalt! Cobalt!” She then heard a bloodcurdling scream from the screen. Looking over she saw a young girl have an axe driven into her back again and again. She then tried to slap him again out of desperation. Anything to get his eyes away from the screen. Ruby began crying and becoming hysterical while trying to do anything to get him back. But she heard the screams of the girl on screen came to a sudden and abrupt stop. She saw that Cobalt had outstretched his arm towards the now dead girl. Arm falling to his side he looked down towards the ground in complete defeat. She could just see his eyes but they were unresponsive and saw something that was not there. They had a glossy look to them as if he was watching something broadcasted on his eyes only. Whatever he was seeing was not reality. She tried to grab his entire frame to lift him to get him out of there. He then threw her off of him. Looking at him from the floor she saw him grasp his head with both hands and start screaming. Ruby had been in many situations that instilled fear into her from fighting outrageously sized Grimm to psychopathic criminals. But nothing made her more afraid than Cobalt’s screaming. It was full of nothing but terror, horror, and loss. Balling his eyes out Cobalt screamed “IT ISN'T FAIR!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE??!! SHE WAS SO YOUNG WITH SO MUCH OF HER LIFE TO LOOK FORWARD TOO!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO HAVE IT TAKEN FROM HER??!! RUTH WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE!!” He then looked over towards Ruby but she could tell that even though he was looking in her direction he did not see her. Whatever he saw was not real. He then ran out towards the stairs and sprinted out of the theater. Ruby who barely missed being stepped on in Cobalt’s death sprint quickly grabbed his glasses she knocked off and chased after him. 

Making it into the rest of the cinema she looked around desperately for him. Although he was out of sight she followed the line of people all staring towards the same direction in confusion. Eventually making it outside she saw him on his knees, leaning back to face the sky silently crying. “Cobalt! Cobalt what's wrong?! Cobalt talk to me!” She yelled as she ran over to his side. 

All she heard in response was a barely audible whisper “Ruth I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. You didn't deserve that fate. Nobody does.” 

Ruby then hugged him as hard as she could with tears still falling from her eyes. “Cobalt please come back to me! Whatever you're upset about you don't have to deal with it on your own. I'll help bear some of the burden. But you need to talk to me!” Ruby then helped him get up and practically carrying him on her back she took him over a few buildings into an alley to take him away from the crowd that was beginning to form. Setting him down against a wall she slumped right next to him. He still had his eyes seeing something that was not real but he had at least stopped screaming. Ruby continued to hold him as hard as she could hoping that she would somehow be able to bring him back. To bring back the Cobalt that she knew. After a few minutes of silence she suddenly heard him gasp and jerk back. 

“Cobalt! Cobalt speak to me!” Said Ruby as she shook him frantically.

“Ruth.” 

“Cobalt are you alright? Can you see me?” Ruby grabbed his head and made his eyes look into hers. Whatever images had been playing were no longer there. He was back in the present.

“I saw Ruth again. I saw her instead of the girl in the movie. I'm sorry I made you worry for me like that!” Said Cobalt as he returned her embrace and began crying on her shoulder.

“It's alright but Cobalt… Who's Ruth?”

“She… She was my sister…”

A face of horror appeared on Ruby’s face as everything began to put itself together. His sister must have died tragically when she was young. He blamed himself and his method of coping was to not care for anything. This had been the root of the problem. And it was Ruby who had made him more susceptible to such a reaction.

Ruby now seeing the situation as partly her fault began to apologize. “I'm sorry I had to drag you along to this. If only I hadn't have planned this then this wouldn't have happened.”

“No Ruby you're wrong. I had decided to open to my emotions completely forgetting why I shouldn't feel them.”

“But if you shut out your feelings then you aren't dealing with the problem! You're just hiding from the pain but it will only make you feel more pain!”

“That's easy for you to say!” Yelled out Cobalt. “How would you feel if you had to watch your sister die?! How would you feel if you had to watch the life slip out of her, her eyes go lifeless as she lay dying in your arms?! And you have to go on living knowing that you could've prevented it but didn't!”

Silence filled the alley where the only thing to be heard was Cobalt’s soft crying. Ruby did not know what to say. Yes she had lost her mother but at least she did not witness it. She tried to imagine what if she was in his shoes, how would she have acted if she had to watch Yang die in her arms. The thought was too horrible to think about for long. She could not imagine the magnitude of pain and suffering that he had to have gone through. Minutes past but how many could not be certain. Time seemed to slow but yet also speed up. Finally breaking the silence Cobalt said “It happened when we were seven.”

“That's horrible. Is it alright if I ask what happened?”

“My parents had died when we were five. They had become addicted to drugs and robbed a bank for money to buy more. They died in a police shoot out. It was actually a blessing I think. They would do nothing but aim their anger and withdrawal symptoms towards me and Ruth. I would always step in and take whatever punishment she would've received. I always did. So when we began living on the streets I made it my responsibility to take care of her. I grew up to make it so she could have a future. I was willing to throw away my life so that she could avoid the fate of our parents. Even at that age and even though we were twins she was still my little sister I needed to protect.”

“Why didn't you go to one of those foster homes?”

“Oh please like those ever do any good. I would have received less abuse if I my parents were alive. Besides those foster care systems will treat you like a slave. You’re worked to the bone. Your opinions never matter. They will separate siblings for pocket change. I couldn't bear the thought of losing Ruth. So we stayed on the streets. I turned to a life of thievery to provide enough food for us. I even had stolen enough to fund her getting into school. She was going to start in a week when it happened.” 

Cobalt broke into another fit of tears with Ruby only tightening her embrace. It hurt her to see him this way but she knew that he had been holding this all in for years. The amount of pain he had to have experienced in that time is something that nobody should have to go through. But she was happy that she could be here for him in his time of need. Her father may be too far gone but at least she could prevent another from the same fate.

“It happened in an abandoned building. Ruth and I had joined a group of fellow orphans that claimed an abandoned factory to work together to survive. We used it for shelter, as a base of operations, and would defend it against any rival gangs. I guess you could call our group a gang. But we would try to remain out of the affairs of other, more violent gangs. We had just formed for protection and survival, nothing else. We had joined them shortly after our parents died. Then one day I had gone and stole money from a corner market. It was nothing much, just enough to buy food and water for a few of us, but it was enough. Apparently it was under the territory of another gang, one that held grudges. We kept on stealing from every store in that area but they never told us that they had claimed the land. They thought that we already did know and were knowingly trespassing on their turf. So they plotted for three months a form of revenge. 

Then a week before Ruth was going to start school they came. It was night and we were all asleep. An older one, around the age of sixteen, snuck in all in black and armed with several knives. He took out those taking watch silently slitting their throats. He then came in and began to slit the throats of everyone there. He killed everyone mercilessly, one by one in their sleep, until only three of us remained. In the process of killing one of the last of us, leaving Ruth and I as the last ones left, he woke up Ruth. After all the times I had helped her and defended her she decided that she would do the same for me. She fought back and began punching and screaming at him. I woke up with a start but froze. I couldn't do anything. I just sat there and watched as every time she tried to hit him with a loose pipe he would dodge it. He was laughing at her, enjoying the fight. Once he was done joking around he grabbed her by the throat and held her above the ground choking her. She tried to kick him and beat his arm with the pipe but his grip remained as strong as ever. Then with a smile he then took his knife and stabbed her at the bottom of the torso. Her screams were piercing, something I can remember to this day. He walked over to where he could hold her right above where I lay. I could feel her blood drip onto me. He slowly cut upwards as if he was dissecting her, as if she was just an animal for slaughter. I could hear her screams of agony but still couldn't move. He dropped her on top of me, her body making a splash in her blood. Holding her head I saw her mouth my name. Her eyes then lost their spark and she was gone. 

The one thing in my life that I had ever cared for taken from me and I did nothing but sit there and let it happen. I returned to reality when I heard his maniacal laughter. At that point I snapped. I had nothing left to lose. I didn't care if I died trying but I vowed to myself to kill everyone who had made this happen! I closed Ruth’s eyes and saw that he was leaning up against a wall facing away from me almost collapsing from laughter. I took a large shard of glass about the size of my hand and crept up behind him. I jumped onto his back and put the glass to his throat. I grabbed the other end with my hand, brought my legs up and pressed the bottom of my feet against his back and jumped back with it embedding itself in his throat. He fell back with me, the shard of glass having completely cut through his throat and resting in the front of his spine. Although he was dead I wasn't done with him. After I had burnt off all of my anger all that was left was a large puddle of blood, tissues, and bones. I didn't know what to do at that point. I was covered from head to toe in blood and was standing in the middle of a massacre. I couldn't take Ruth out of there to bury or else someone would think I killed her. I couldn't call for the police or they would've blamed their deaths on me. So I burned down the building into nothing but ashes. I walked from that building engulfed in flames not looking back. Everyone there had died so there was nothing left for me. But just as their bodies were burning in flames so did my sympathy and mercy. I followed through with my vow. I found those who ordered the attack and killed them slow and painfully, just like how they did to Ruth. My only regret is that one of them escaped. A girl I believe. The only thing that has kept me going is my hunt for her.” 

Cobalt clenched his hands in anger pulling Ruby closer once he was finished. Ruby was absolutely horrified. She was crying just as much as he was if not more. The thought that all this had actually happened was unbelievable. She had no idea that someone could do such a thing to a child, to someone who was so innocent. Then there was the fact that Cobalt had committed multiple murders of other teenagers out of revenge. She was able to tell that he had a difficult past when they met but his story made her father’s look like a walk in the park. 

“Cobalt I-I don't know what to say. What has happened to you is the most horrible thing I've ever heard to happen to anybody and you didn't deserve it. You didn't deserve to have that happen and nobody does. I understand your need for revenge but that doesn't excuse your actions. You killing Ruth’s murderer I understand because he was directly responsible and would have killed you next. It was a case of self defense. But the others you shouldn't have killed.” 

Cobalt then jerked back separating the two of them landing on his butt a few feet away. His eyes were filled with rage and his body shook from him trying to suppress it. “Why do you say that? How can you say that? They took everything from me! They took away the one thing I valued in life! Did you forget that they didn't just kill her?! They killed everyone there but me! Thirty orphans died that night because of their actions! The oldest being eleven and the youngest four! All dead because of one order!”

Ruby stood up to rebuttal. She knew that in his fragile state she had to choose her words carefully. “I know you are suffering. I know that what they did was inhuman and sadistic. I know that it was likely for the best that you killed them. But what you did to them, killing them, was wrong. You are not a god and you have no authority to pass judgement upon them.”

Cobalt at this point was red in the face and one could practically see steam coming from his ears. Standing up so he could look down on her “You didn't know them! You don't know what other horrors they had ordered!”

“You didn't let me finish!” Yelled Ruby standing tall with more tears beginning to form in her eyes. After a brief moment of silence she jumped forward and hugged him. She pressed up against him and held on tight. She could feel the heat from his anger begin to unravel as the embrace continued. After creating a large wet spot on his shirt where it had absorbed her tears she weakly rose her head to speak. She stared directly into his eyes and said “You didn't let me finish. I don't believe that you should of killed them. But I forgive you. I forgive you for taking such actions. I forgive you for ending their lives. I forgive you for everything.”

Bringing up his arms, he returned the embrace cautiously and said “How? How can you forgive me for such a thing? Especially coming from someone like you.”

“It's because I know you. I know that you were born into a world that did nothing but try to harm you. I know that you didn't want to ever harm anyone. You were only given misfortune and hatred from the world surrounding you. It began to suffocate you with pain and made you suppress the young, caring boy you were. Unlike what you believe he's still alive. He's still in there and he's waiting. He's waiting for you to wake up from this nightmare. For you to realize that you can be who you are again. You don't need to hide him to live. You see an endless night ahead of you, constantly waiting for dawn. But what you don't realize is that the sun has already risen. The morning is already here waiting to embrace you. But you're too afraid to open your eyes to see. I know that it hurts but you can't let your past rule who you are. Think of Ruth. How would she want you to live? A life full of nothing but revenge and hatred? I don't think so. Although I don't know her and never will I think I know what she would want. She would want you to live life for her. Live the life that she never got to in her memory. So that her sacrifice wasn't for nothing.”

“Ruby.” He said as he put his hand on her head and began stroking her hair. His voice sounded shaky as if every syllable took great difficulty to say. “I will try. I will try to do what you said. I can't promise you I will move on. The idea of revenge is what has kept me moving for so long I don't know if it will ever leave. But I'll try to make it not dominate me. For Ruth’s sake. And yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yes, yours.”

“Why?”

“Do you even need to ask that question? It's clearly obvious that I mean something to you. Why else would anyone put up with me?”

“You're not that bad.”

“Oh really? With my fantastic looks and charming personality?” Said Cobalt with a smirk. 

“Like you have any?” Said Ruby giggling.

“My, my, have I started rubbing off on you already?” 

“You wish.” Said a grinning Ruby.

“Well then come on. Let's go. It's time to bring you home.” He said cracking. His crack spread rapidly and soon his composure shattered. Everything from his posture to his tone betrayed him. She could see him try to shrug this off as if it was nothing when it was not.

“Why?” Said Ruby checking the time with a slight tone of concern. “I had planned for the movie to last us another hour. We've missed enough we can't go back but we don't have to leave for Beacon just yet.”

“Well if you look two buildings down you will see the glorious remains if a sickly sweet cookie and an overly spicy burger. Considering that happened once tonight means it can easily happen again. Which means no using semblance for transportation. Unless that is you want some random passerby to have a really, really bad way to end their evening. I don't know about you but that would surely put a damper on my day.” 

“Yuck.” Said a Ruby in disgust for creating a vivid image of said poor passerby. “Alright then let's go.”

The way back to Beacon was, aside from the background noise of the city, a silent walk. Several times Ruby tried to cheer him up but it did not help much. It always ended with either a moment of awkward silence or a small sarcastic comment that did little to boost his spirits. He did his best to look like he was over it but Ruby could see past his façade. His smile betrayed him as it looked forced and his shoulders were slumped even though he did his best to just appear tired. Ruby began to feel uncomfortable with his reactions to her, that he was reverting back to how he was before he met her. She could hypothesize that what he told her was a secret of his that he did not share with many others or possibly anyone. Had she really made that much of an impression on him? Is this a sign of reform or declination? He seemed like he was getting so much better then this bombshell dropped. She hoped that what she said was right. In his time of weakness she tried to say what he needed to hear. Just because she said what he needed to hear did not change anything though. This was something that he has focused his life around. She could not expect him to change that much with a few kind words. He has to make the change himself. She can only be there to help but it was up to him to go through with it. 

Then there was the fact that she could not get Yang’s comment out of her mind. _“When someone falls in love with someone.”_ Was she in love? It was evident that her teammates thought that there was something more to them than just being friends. But she didn't know what love was. Of course she felt love towards her dad and her sister but love as in romantically? In the past she had never looked to the idea in detail. Just like in her fairy tales she loved so much love was at first sight and instantaneous. She had expected to meet someone one day and by the first look she would know that they are the one. Of course she had learned that life was not quite like how it was in fairy tales but she had never had this cross her mind. With every passing day she felt herself grow closer to him. She could feel herself forming a relationship with that part of him that he kept hidden to the world, the part only she could see. But the nature of such a relationship was still unknown. 

“We're here.” She heard Cobalt’s glum voice say.

The sound of his voice brought her back from her thoughts. She must not have realized how much time had passed because they stood at the entrance to Beacon. It looked beautiful at this time of night with the moon shining over it creating long shadows that simultaneously brought life to the structures. Life and light in a world surrounded by darkness.

“The true purpose of Beacon. To usher in light to a world of darkness.” Said Cobalt transfixed by the same sight she was. He breathed in deeply and sighed heavily. “You know… I'm happy I'm here at Beacon.” Ruby looked over at him still staring off at the beautifully illuminated school. “Beacon. A light that warns and guides others but yet also illuminates and inspires. That is the true meaning of Beacon.” He paused as he looked down momentarily to sniffle a few times. He then brought his head up looking straight towards the moon. The light illuminated his face. She could see his crisp features, from his cheekbones to his strong chin. She also saw a white scar that crossed over his right eye that had never been visible before. It stretched from his borderline of his hair all the way to underneath the chin. It looked silver, almost ethereal in the light. His eyes glistened and sparkled and she could see a single tear fall and trace the outline of the scar. He continued saying “Sometimes we need a beacon, to light us when we are in the dark, to light the way back home, to shine over us a shield and a protector.” Turning towards Ruby she could see, even with how it was barely apparent, the Cobalt that had been tucked down since that dark day. “Ruby. You are my beacon. You are the most kind and innocent person I know. The light for my dark. Even with all your light I don't know if it will be able to illuminate all my dark. But I'd be a damned fool for not trying. What do you say Ruby? I see something special here. Let's try to make it work.” With that he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him closing the gap between them. With the other hand he cupped Ruby’s cheek, leaned in and kissed her. 

Ruby was in absolute shock. This was her first kiss. She could feel her heart beating like a drum, her lips tingling from contact with his. Every part of her felt like she was on fire. But it was strangely enjoyable. It was scary but yet exciting. She could feel sparks fly with magic in the air. But then her instincts of fear kicked in and she withdrew herself from his embrace and stared at her feet unwilling to face him. Whether she actually wanted the kiss to continue or not she did not know but the fact remained that she broke it. She could feel herself blushing and beginning to tremble. She had never been this nervous for anything. She looked up from her feet to see his face. All she saw was the back of his head. He had turned away from her. Was he embarrassed? Was he angry? Had he overstepped his boundaries? Or was it that in his broken state he had the courage to do what neither of them had guts to do? Was this an end or a beginning? Ruby racked her mind for what she should say. What could she say? She had just backed out of that. He was at his most open moment and she rejected him. She could see his face turn sideways against the moon to hide it in shadow. “Ruby I'm sor-”

He did not make it any farther than that before she was gone. Ruby decided to take the coward's way out of this situation by just running. Using her semblance she sped all the way back to her dorm room. She made it to her room and slammed the door behind her. She did not mean to but her muscles were on edge and anything she did she applied far too much force into. Of course a slammed door did very little to help with the whole “sneaking back in” part of her plan. She was soon met by the angry and worried faces of her teammates.

“What were you doing out so late?” Began Weiss who began treating her like a caught criminal for interrogation. “Don't you have any idea how worried we were! Give me exact details as to what happened!”

Yang just came forward to give Ruby a big hug while pushing Weiss out of the way but not looking like she intended to. “I'm so happy you're back! Is everything alright? You have tear stains all over you. Did he hurt you?”

“What? No. No he didn't. Tonight was just… Eventful I guess.”

“You have to tell us everything!”

“Not right now okay. I'm really tired and I just want to go to bed.”

“As long as you're safe and sound go ahead.”

“Hey?! Aren't you going to scold her for leaving with only a note-” Said Weiss who was trying to reassert her position in the conversation.

Pushing Weiss’s face out of the way Yang ignored her and said “Alright then. We'll just go to bed for now but we are definitely talking about this tomorrow.”

“Ugh! Fine.” Said Weiss crossing her arms and storming over to her bed. 

All of them eventually calmed down and Ruby could hear the slow and steady breathing of all of them being asleep. Normally she would not be able to hear them all but with how much adrenaline was running through her system she had heightened senses. The same adrenaline that was causing her insomnia. As much as she wanted the day to end, for the time being she was stuck being awake until the adrenaline wore off. Her mind would repeat the kiss over and over again. Every time with her doing something different to cause a different conclusion. Some good and some bad but she could not stop thinking about it. That was her first kiss. She had always been taught from her fairy tales that one’s first kiss should be a magical and wonderful experience. Not that mess. It could well be called a mess. Cobalt’s emotions had gone out of whack so whether or not he was serious about it was still up for grabs. Then the fact that he stole a kiss. That was her first and whether she wanted it or not that was now etched into her memory as her first kiss. A memory that would never leave. But did she want it to? She did admit to herself that there was a part of her that liked it. Then there was a part of her that was so scared that she might as well have locked lips with the devil. Cobalt and her did not treat the situation well. Cobalt stole her first kiss but yet she did not do much better. She ran away just as he was going to explain himself. If anything she made it worse. And what if that had been his first kiss as well? She sure gave him one hell of a confidence boost with that reaction. She did not even stick around to hear him out. What was this going to do with the future of the relationship? She liked him as a friend but as something more she was still looking towards. She had spent so long and so much work into getting him to be open with his feelings and what did she do when he tried to? She ran away. She ran away like a coward. Ruby spent the rest of her time awake planning an assortment of ways to fix this and categorized them from “unlikely” to “in your dreams”. She knew it was not going to be an uncomfortable conversation with each of them explaining their actions but she knew she would have it nonetheless. Even if it was the death of her.

The temperature outside grew cold and was assisted by an icy breeze coming in. Clouds began to fill the sky and covered the moon thus ushering Remnant into shadow. Cobalt could hear thunder ring off in the distance. He could tell that it would rain soon but was unphased. He just remained where he stood frozen in place. Even if he wanted to move he felt like he could not. He shivered in the cold breeze as goosebumps covered his body. The shock of what happened just overwhelmed him. He did not really know what to do. His emotional state for the week had been thrown off its rockers. He did not mean to be that upfront. He felt like he was drunk on his own emotion. He made a remark to himself about how he could have done better if he was actually drunk. He admitted that the thought of kissing her had crossed his mind before but never in his right mind would he have followed through with it. He felt horrible about it. He had no doubt that this was her first kiss. Now because of one lapse in judgment she would forever have this engraved in her memory as her first kiss. He had stolen it nonetheless. Sure things like dust and material goods he did not mind stealing but this was in another ballpark. One does not just steal a kiss. This went against several of his self imposed restrictions when he chose this line of work. He knew he had to fix things but he did not blame her for running away. He would have done the same in her shoes. It did not make things easier though.

He let out a deep sigh and began rubbing his temples preparing for an oncoming migraine as a result of his actions. He made it look like he closed his eyes but he was watching. He saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye and his instincts told him it was not a figment of his imagination. It had just moved out of an alley across the street where whoever or whatever it was could have easily seen everything that had just happened. He could see it moving towards him. The being was short and from the looks of it female. She carried something with her but he could not tell what. Cobalt began running through his head any and all forms of counter ambush he could come up with until he saw her open what she held. Seeing the familiar shape Cobalt released his nerves and began calming down again. He chuckled slightly and said “I must say I was not expecting you here tonight. You’re lucky I was able to tell who you were or else you would be dead where you stand.” Turning around to face his acquaintance he said “So would you mind enlightening me as to how you found me? Fond little Neo of mine.”


	13. The Perfect Crime

“So would you mind enlightening me as to how you found me? Fond little Neo of mine.”

The first sensation Cobalt felt was a large stinging on his face around his cheek. Recoiling back he rubbed his check then turned to face her. “I say! That was completely uncalled for!” He watched her take out her scroll and began typing. Once done she shoved it right into his face causing him to recoil again. “Hey you do realize it's night right? I don't need to be staring at a screen that can outshine the sun.” She withdrew her scroll for a moment to turn down the brightness and quickly type a few words.

_[You know that I hate it when you call me little. And sorry not sorry.]_

“Don't you know that's why I do it. Besides that point may I ask as to why you're here and how did you find me?”

_[I’ve known you for years. Just because you're shipped off to some school doesn't mean I don't keep tabs on you.]_

“That's a bit unnerving.”

_[I prefer to see it that I'm caring. Besides you need someone to save your sorry ass whenever you bite off more than you can chew.]_

“Alright can you tell me why you're here?”

_[I’m here because Cinder told me to.]_

“Damn it what does she want now?”

_[I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first.]_

“Whatever I answer to that will not change what you say first.”

With a smirk Neo typed a message but when handing it over to him she also handed him one of his favorite brands of cigars as well as his lighter. _[We need you back Roman.]_

Taking the cigar in hand and lighting it he breathed in deeply and exhaled a sigh of relief. “Neo I need to thank you. It's been a week since I was last able to have a smoke and I really needed one now of all times.” Taking another breath he said “So what's the bad news for me?”

_[You’re not done with Beacon. After this next heist you will go back to attending school. Plus you'll be called on for duties of both being undercover as well as running a string of other operations coming up.]_

“Damn it! Ugh, just when I thought I was free from this prison. Now I have to keep running my organization and be undercover for a reason that I am still unaware of. I'm sick and tired of this ‘Cobalt’ character as well as everyone at this school. It's driving me mad.”

_[It didn't seem like you were sick and tired of Red a moment ago.]_

“You peeping tom! How long were you following me?”

_[Long enough. Care to explain why I saw you kiss that thorn in your side that you spent weeks complaining about?]_

Turning away awkwardly Cobalt said “If I could I would. Trust me I'm trying to figure that out too.”

_[Were you drunk?]_

“No I was not drunk. Why do you always ask that when I do something stupid?”

_[Why do you insist upon drinking every time you think of Ruth?]_

“Because it's damn well effective at making me forget.”

_[Yes but every time you do so you create another memory you want to forget.]_

“Neo we are not here to discuss my drinking. We're here so that you can tell me where I need to be and when.”

_[I will. Under one condition.]_

“Let me guess. A pint of neapolitan ice cream?”

_[Alright two conditions.]_

“What else could you possibly desire?” Asked Cobalt raising an eyebrow in mock confusion.

He saw her begin typing furiously as he saw her getting more and more agitated. _[You have to answer a question of mine. No loopholes. No clever ways of sneaking out of it. No bullshit.]_

Turning towards a more serious tone Cobalt said “Alright you have my attention. Ask away.”

_[Just what happened here Roman?! What the hell?! You kissed the person that has caused you to have a failing streak!]_

“Alright, alright! Just stop shouting.” After a moment he realized what he had just said. “Er… um… I mean just calm down. There's nothing between us.”

 _[Sure sounds like a lot of nothing spewing from your mouth. Come on Roman be honest with me.]_ Grabbing Cobalt by the wrist, she looked at him with eyes of concern while she typed _[We've know each other long enough that I know when something's wrong. Just tell me.]_

“Fine. Look I had a nightmare the day I first got into Beacon. A nightmare where I killed Mercury, Emerald and Cinder. Of course one might call it a happy dream. But afterwards I saw that I did it all to save Red. In the dream I was the only one able to help her and I did. What scares me most was how real it felt. I thought I was actually there, that the dream was reality, and I risked my life to save hers. I had felt… Look I just don't understand it.”

_[How does that turn into you kissing her?]_

“That's just it. By a purely random event I had met her and became acquainted with her. Within the first half hour of being with her she saw me.”

_[What do you mean she saw you?]_

“She wasn't able to tell that I'm Torchwick but practically everything else she saw. She saw me just like how you did when we first met. She didn't know about Ruth but she could tell that something was bothering me. Throughout the week she spent every second that we were in the presence of each other trying to ‘make me feel better’. I should have just shrugged it off but I couldn't.” Cobalt suddenly felt very dizzy as if he may faint. He collapsed to one knee and covered his face to try to ease the migraine. He felt as if his head was cracking. He knew that it was his body fighting against himself to punish him for kissing Ruby. This always happened whenever he did something that broke his moral code however small it was. Through his fingers he could see Neo go to his side. She felt her put a hand on his shoulder and kneel down next to him. He could hear her typing and saw her place the scroll in front of his eyes. Through the narrow cracks of his fingers he could tell what she said from the fragments he could see.

_[Roman are you alright?!]_

“Yes.” Said Cobalt painfully. As frustrating as it was he knew that he had to finish telling her what happened. Migraine or no migraine she was not going to stop until she knew everything. “Every second I spent with her, every time I thought of her, I remembered the dream. But with each moment that passed a part of me wanted it to be real. And she made it so easy to. Damn. Of all people why did I have to begin falling for her?”

_[How much have you told her?]_

“What do you mean?” Said Cobalt lying. He knew what she meant he just did not want to talk about it for as long as he could.

_[You’re fully aware of what I'm talking about.]_

“Fine. Look I told her what happened to Ruth okay.”

_[Are you an idiot?! Why the hell did you do that?!]_

“She was finally able to open me up and we were about to go to a movie. We walked into the wrong theater and it was a horror film. I had a bit of a panic attack from it and in my shattered state I didn't think twice about telling her.”

_[Are you an idiot?]_

“Most likely yes.”

_[Roman look at me.] Turning to face her he saw her with caring, comfortable eyes. _[Roman I want you to be happy. You've gone through more hell in your life than most have thought possible. However you achieve happiness is up to you. If you think that it involves Red then so be it. But keep in mind that you two are supposed to be enemies. Until you can bring her to our side or we join hers there will always be conflict. You may experience more pain than you have in a while. I want you to keep this in mind though. Whether this works out or not I'll be there supporting you all the way.]__

“Thank you. It's always nice to have a friend like you.”

_[Likewise.]_

“Anyway when did you say I needed to do that one heist?”

_[Tomorrow night.]_

“Tomorrow night! That's not enough time to plan an efficient strategy!”

_[Well you're skipping class tomorrow so I hope that should be just enough time.]_

“It depends on the job. What is it?” 

_[I’ll tell you when we get to your apartment.]_

“Wait a minute I left my personal scroll in my room. I need it for hacking purposes.” Neo responded by pulling out a scroll from her back pocket. “How did you get your hands on my scroll?”

_[I learned from the best.]_

“Thank you. As you had said let's discuss the details in a less public location.” They then walked to his apartment to discuss their dastardly plans while Cobalt spent the way there catching up with Neo and her week.

The next morning Roman woke up and he felt at home again. No alarms, no school, just him being able to sleep in and let the sun wake him up. Yawning, he got out of bed and looked around. Fortune have it be that the closest apartment was his favorite of his seven scattered throughout Vale. The walls were a clean white with a brown, polished wooden flooring. To his left hung a large walk out window that led to a small enclosed terrace that gave him total privacy from the outside world while still able to enjoy mornings with coffee. There were no other buildings in the view except Beacon quite a ways away. As such he never quite got tired of the view of nature especially from this height with it being fifteen stories high. To his right was his restroom that was probably oversized but it needed to be with how many hygiene products he used. Walking forward he opened the door to his living room which held floor to wall windows on one side. The windows curved around a corner which allowed him to look one way and see the woodlands and the other a gorgeous view of the city. He made himself a cup of coffee and sat down on his large leather couch in the center to enjoy the view of the morning. He made sure to add a swig of his flask to his coffee. It was going to be a long day of planning. 

At 8 pm Roman left his luxury suite in his private elevator that ran from his floor to the basement to meet Neo. He was already exhausted from memorizing every single possible variation of plans. Straightening his scarf the doors opened to the basement where he saw Neo leaning up against the wall. “Good evening Neo. How about you and I see how much mischief we can cause?” Said Roman as they walked out the secret exit from the basement. They were heading into the forest where a bullhead awaited them to drop them off at their destination.

_[I can see your mood has improved.]_

“All thanks to a good night's sleep and a few swigs of whiskey.”

_[You know how I feel about you drinking.]_

“That's precisely why I drink. In fact I think I'll have some now.” Said Roman as he pulled out his flask and took a small drink while looking into Neo’s dismissive eyes.

Neo responded with _[How's the wig fairing you?]_

“May my bangs rest in peace. As much as I love being back to the old me I'm afraid the wig might take some getting used to. I had to cut off a lot of hair when I left for Beacon and I can't have them be putting two and two together because of the hair.” He pulled out his cane and held it towards the light to examine it. “Melodic Cudgel needed some fine tuning but is now in top shape. I also added a few new rounds in it that I'm excited to try out.”

_[What are they?]_

“I don't have the slightest idea.” Said Roman with a grin. “They can range from ice to lightning to fire but I have absolutely no idea. It'll be a giant game of roulette! Won't that be fun?!” 

_[Just hope that you won't have to use them. Anyway do you have the plan?]_

“Of course I have the plan. You know I always do.” They finally made it to the bullhead hidden in an outcrop in the forest by his apartment. By walking through several alleys and a hidden trail one could make it there without being seen by anyone but the occasional drunk that may be sleeping, passed out or dead for all he knew. Fortunately the path was wide enough that none of the grime had to touch his exceptionally white and clean suit. 

_[Good. I thought that with your head in the clouds that maybe you forgot.]_

“Trust me it's all under control. Besides I'd appreciate you not mentioning anything about what happened yesterday to anybody.” 

_[Don’t worry. I won't.]_

He trusted her with his life so he knew she would not let it slip. The fact that she was physically incapable of doing so helped as well. But he saw this as a grand opportunity to mess with her. Turning his face to hers to give her the most evil grin he could muster he said “Good. Let's keep it that way unless you want it to go around that you had a peculiar dream about a certain blond you fought.” Seeing her face blush almost to the same color of Ruby’s coat he knew he drove the nail in. He loved making fun of her for that. He knew that for as long as they knew each other he would never let that incident go.

Looking away in both dismissal and annoyance while trying to hide some remaining blush, she held out her scroll which said _[Fine. But you didn't have to bring that up you know.]_

“Oh I did.” Replied Roman nonchalantly. “I absolutely had no choice but to bring it up again.”

At that moment he could feel themselves begin their descent to the ground. The doors opened up and the two of them strolled out to see the situation. The view ahead of them was the rooftop of a rather tall building. It was flat with a floor of concrete with a three foot tall lining around the edges. To the left was a door and vents covered the area. From this position they could see all of Vale and the lights that lit it. He could hear the cars and people below in the bustling city. Roman walked towards the edge of the roof and looked beyond. In every direction he could see the lights of human achievement. He was repulsed. How could so many people live happily as their civilization was based upon the suffering of others? The people claim to care for everyone but that was nothing but a lie. They have never had to survive. They have never had to wonder when their next meal would be or if they would be alive in the morning. They do what all do: they pretend nothing happens. They turn a blind eye to the blight and pain of others so they can keep living their happy go lucky lives. Roman closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and ground his teeth as he held himself back. He could hear the clicking of heels behind him as his accomplice walked towards him. He felt a poking on his arm. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and looked at the woman to the left of him. Neo was leaning back against the ledge facing him. She pulled out her scroll and typed _[I know what you're thinking Roman. They're not worth the effort. They still have wool over their eyes. Let's go take that away.]_

Pulling out a cigar and lighting it Roman took a few puffs before he responded. “You're right. They're not worth it. Let's go.” He walked over to the door and checked the lock. It was a key pad with what appeared to be a nine digit code. Pulling out his personal scroll he held it against the panel while numbers rapidly flashed on his scroll. A few seconds later the numbers turned green and with a click the door opened and led the way to the chaos they were about to unleash. He being the gentleman he was he motioned for Neo to go take the lead. Neo responded with a sarcastic look and typed _[You’re just scared to go first aren't you?]_

“How dare you? Men of my caliber are never scared. I was just trying be a gentleman. That was all.”

Sighing Neo went first but just before she took her first step down she looked back and stuck out her tongue _[You big baby.]_

As soon as she turned away Roman proceeded to silently mock her. Just before he went down he took one last look at the city that had always repulsed him. The glowing lights shone out and illuminated the darkness. But this time he saw some beauty in it. He could not help but to remember how the lights looked while in the slipstream of Ruby’s semblance. Maybe, he thought, just maybe the lights meant something more. He chuckled softly to himself as he shook his head. He needed to focus on the job ahead of him. He'll have more time later to ponder about lighting systems. Roman turned away from the light and descended into the darkness below.

The two of them descended down the stairwell until they reached the first door they saw. The label read “Contemporary Art”. Roman tried the door and earned a confused glare from his partner in crime.

_[What are you doing? We're not after anything on this floor.]_

“You may not be but I am. I'd like to add a few pieces to my personal collection.”

_[Really? I didn't know you had a thing for art?]_

“Oh I don't. I just like viewing the price tags back at my apartment and laughing at how many people I've screwed over because of it. It's a real spirit lifter.”

Raising an eyebrow Neo typed _[Really?]_

“Yes really. Now do you want to help me or not?”

_[No.]_

“Well that's rude. Why not?”

_[Because we-I take that back-you have a mission and you're just going to stand around staring at wall. I don't have to be here. I just know you well enough that I can't trust you to be serious about this.]_

“Correction. I will not be staring at the wall. I will be taking things off it.”

_[Sometimes you're such a child.]_

“That sure means a lot coming from little Miss ‘four foot nine with heels’.” Seeing her face he realized he went a bit far with that comment. She walked right up to him and kneed him in the crotch as hard as she could. Collapsing from the pain he fell to the ground in a fetal position as he tried to hide any sound of pain.

_[You can be a real jackass sometimes.]_

Through stifled moans of pain Roman said “You know I try.”

Neo put her hands in the air as she walked away done with his attitude. _[You know what I'll go search for the painting. Join up with me when you're ready to do your job. Message if any problems I need to be made aware of come up.]_

“Don't worry about me I'll be here for a while.” He called out to her as she descended down the stairs again.

After taking a few minutes to feel as if he could walk again he tried the door another time. The door wouldn't budge but a scroll and some more flashing numbers later he was in. The room was completely dark with the only light coming from the moonlight shining in through the windows. His footsteps echoed as he stepped inside. Roman could see sculptures and paintings galore but that was not why he was here. There was the piece his employer was looking for but he knew he would not find it on this floor. He was ahead of schedule so he took the liberty of viewing a few pieces. He had never quite understood art but he could tell when someone put effort into something and he respected that. Also he enjoyed pretty much any painting that its primary colors were orange, red, white and black. He began strolling through the exhibit whistling while resting his cane on his shoulder. He saw one or two that he would be interested in and left mental reminders to come check them out later. Near the end of the exhibit he saw a final hallway. At the very end illuminated by a single window was a painting. Roman did not know who painted it or why but he knew that he could not leave without it. The three foot by two foot painting held strokes that looked angry but yet precise as reds, oranges, and greys spread throughout a white canvas. He walked quickly over to it and began examining it inches away from his face. He also saw the price tag of a whopping 15 million lien. “Yes.” He muttered. “This will do just perfectly.” Before he took the painting off the wall he went through all the necessary precautions from checking for beams to disabling alarms hooked to the back of the painting. Finally certain that he could take it off he picked it up with care. He could see just where he would put this in his room when he felt something off. 

He set the painting down slowly and carefully against the wall and looked behind him. To his right held a large sculpture of many wax figures of assorted human and faunus women of all varying heights. He was stuck at the end of a hallway with only one way out and doing so he would have to pass the sculpture. He knew from experience that if he felt this way he would not stop to check the entire floor for an intruder. But first came the sculpture. That held the highest threat at the moment. Cane in his right hand and his hidden hunting knife in his left, he walked over to examine the beings of wax. The lack of any moonlight did make things difficult but he would check every mannequin for a sign of life. He could tell instantly that the first two rows were fine as he had originally stood there still for five minutes and if anyone had hidden in that area they would not have been able to hold their breath for that long. He progressed to the third row where he would stare into the eyes of each figurine before flicking it on the nose and running a small cut on its throat to make sure. Third row was fine and he moved on to the fourth. His heart began to race as he began planning what he would do once he found the intruder if they were hidden here or elsewhere. Even though he had no evidence his instincts still told him that he was not alone. Fourth row was clear with no signs of life. All that was left was a few more beings of wax for the fifth row. 

He proceeded to cut the throat of every figure until he landed upon the fifth and final mannequin of the row. Bending down he stared into the eyes of this one to discover them closed. Yes some of the others eyes were also closed but this one seemed off. Seemed too lifelike. In the dark he could not tell how but the shape looked awfully familiar. He flicked it on the nose to no reaction but a small wobble which all of them did. Taking the knife he held it against its throat very carefully. Unlike the others that cut cleanly with wax, the skin of the neck was pushed back slightly with the tiny pressure of the knife that was not enough to cut. In a red flash the figure disappeared leaving Roman baffled as to the direction the person went. He had been smart enough to hook the handle of his cane on the hood of the “figure” and could see the wire spinning out of where the it used to be. Hitting his retract button he felt a sudden jerk and then could feel it dragging the intruder with it. He walked over to a large piece of floor illuminated with moonlight and looked down at the being that had been dragged across the floor. Roman stared directly into large and utterly terrified silver eyes glistening in the moonlight.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? Of all the places I'd expect to see you this is not one of them. Besides…” Jested Roman. He knelt down and leaned in till he was inches away from his intruder’s face. “...Isn't it past your bedtime Red?”


	14. A Meeting Under Unfavorable Circumstances

Ruby stared into the face of the man standing over her. The man that they had hunted for weeks just to break out was now inches away from her face and wearing a smile that sent shivers down her spine. In his shadow she could see his glowing green eyes staring into her soul. Thinking quickly she rammed her head upwards and head butted him in the nose. Seeing him recoil back she took her chance. Using her semblance she sprinted to the exit to rejoin her team waiting in the lower floors. She could beat him in a one on one fight but it would be difficult and there was not enough space around her to wield her scythe. Almost to the door her hopes began to rise. She was going to make it. That is until she found herself suddenly stopped. Well her head suddenly stopped. Her body kept going and she found herself falling onto the floor with the air knocked from her lungs. The world suddenly spinning, she felt the vague sensation that she was moving. She could see the door fade out of view and the familiar shadow standing over her again. Her vision clearing she saw him clutching his right shoulder with his left arm. He appeared to be in a lot of pain as she felt something drip onto her. Looking at the substance she saw it was blood from his now crooked looking nose. She saw him grasp his arm and ram it upwards until she heard a click. Exhaling a large, troubled breath he grabbed his nose and straightened it. He then spent a minute moving his fingers and stretching them to calm himself until he spoke with that silver tongue of his. “I say! Why would you do that to this gorgeous of a face?” Grabbing her by her hood he held her in the air. Ruby grabbed the bottom of her cloak and pushed it outwards so she could just barely breathe. Voice turning cold he said “Rule number one on how to escape: you make sure that you're not doing the same exact thing that got you caught in the first place. You fell for the hook in the hood again.” 

“You don't say?” Said Ruby sarcastically.

“Oh my! I wasn't expecting such an attitude from you. Have our frequent meetings made me rub off on you?” Said Roman bringing his face close to hers. Ruby not being able to remove her hands without being choked spat on his face and conveniently hit his left eye. He recoiled and began rapidly blinking but his grip on her cloak remained unyielding. “Alright that's it. I didn't want to have to do this but you left me no choice.” Said Roman as he walked over towards the nearest wall. She could see by leaning her head back that he took his cane and knocked down one of the paintings hanging near the ceiling. He then hooked the end of her cloak to the hook where the painting was. Ruby now suspended began flailing wildly trying to get off the hook to no avail. 

Returning her attention to her captor she saw him laughing. “I say Red this is just too funny. You look like a bug pinned to a wall.” He grabbed her scythe and threw it across the room before he took out one of his cigars and lit it. Looking smugly he asked her “If we keep meeting like this people are going to talk. So can you tell me why in all of Vale I would find you here, in an art museum, after closing time, pretending to be a wax figure?”

With as much spite as she could muster Ruby muttered “I got lost.”

“Lost. You got lost. How the hell did you ‘get lost’?” 

“Like I'd tell you.”

“I see you seem to underestimate me. See if you haven't noticed yet my name is Roman Torchwick. You know the criminal mastermind, ruler of the underworld, king of thieves, etcetera. I have my ways.”

“Like what?” Said Ruby suspiciously squinting at him.

Seeing him pull her scroll out of his pocket he smugly said “Like this.”

Ruby checked her pockets quickly and felt no scroll only to have to return her hands to her cloak to breathe. “How did you get that?”

“Oh please you're lucky that's all I did.” With a giddy expression he opened her scroll and began looking through it. “My, my you've got quite a lot of friends in this. Let's see about those texts and emails.”

Ruby knew he would not find anything. They had discussed their plan through speech not over her scroll. But that was her scroll. She would be upset if Yang looked through it let alone some crazy criminal. 

“Give that back! It's not yours to look through.”

“Actually for the moment it is. Hmm. Well there doesn't appear to be anything as to why you're here. But would you please inform me as to how you know Mr. Cyan?”

Ruby gasped when she heard the end of his sentence. She whispered “What did you ask?”

“How. Do. You. Know. Mr. Cyan? I'm speaking clear English here I thought I wouldn't have to repeat myself.”

“How do you know him?!” Ruby practically screamed. How could he know him? How could this maniac know of Cobalt?

“You answer my question and I'll answer yours. Is that acceptable?”

“Fine. He's a fellow classmate of mine.” Said Ruby turning away not wanting to look him in the eye.

After hearing an abrupt laughter she turned back to him to see him on the floor laughing his head off. “Oh that's rich. So he's actually here in Vale? I should check up on him sometime.”

“You stay away from him!” Ruby yelled instinctively.

“Oh so he means something to you? Besides in your current position you have no control over what I do. If I want to pay him a visit you can't stop me.”

“Why? What does he mean to you?”

After another small fit of laughter he spoke again. “You really have no idea? Let's just say he's been as much of a thorn in my side as you have been. Still the records show that he should be dead. The fact that he still breathes air means I have more work to do.”

“Don't lay a finger on him!” Said Ruby while she felt tears start falling down her cheek. How could they have been connected? What did Cobalt do? Or was this all just a ploy to mess with her head? 

“Your concern for him only encourages me to do more.” He said with a confident smile. That is until Ruby heard a vibrate come from his pocket. He pulled out his scroll and checked the caller. Ruby could not see him well in the shadows but she could see his face pale to a white almost equal to Weiss’s hair. He turned around then spoke to it and said “Cinder is a bitch” before answering the call.

“Who's Cinder?” Asked Ruby.

“She's a bitch. Now if you could please be quiet I'm a little busy at the moment.” Returning to his scroll his next words were said with more spite than she had ever heard him use. “What have you done to her?” 

“Hello Torchwick.” Heard Ruby. The voice sounded familiar. It was… It was Blake!

“Ah hello kitty cat! I say it's been too long since we last spoke. How have you been doing? I take that back I don't give a damn. What I do give a damn about is why the hell are you calling me from that specific scroll? What have you done to her?”

“We'll let her go. But only if you come in with us.”

“Yeah I'm sorry about this but that's not going to happen. But don't leave just yet. Tonight and tonight only I have a special for you. You return her to me and I won't kill your precious rose.” Said the criminal looking back at Ruby with a sickening expression.

Ruby then saw his other hand, the one holding her scroll, begin to vibrate. Answering it Ruby could hear Yang yell “Ruby are you alright?! Where are you?!”

“Oh she's just fine. Trust me you don't need to worry. She's just you know, hanging around.” Said Roman with a laugh.

“YOU LET GO OF HER!” Ruby heard Yang yell.

“Hey Blondie watch the ears. And besides I have every intention of letting her go. But that would boring. How about we make things exciting, yes? Let's meet on the middle floor in half an hour and do an exchange. Red for Neo. Then we both walk away happy. What do you say?”

A moment of silence followed where Ruby proceeded to mentally kick herself for this. This was a fantastic opportunity to catch Torchwick and now because of her it was botched up. They finally had a leverage over him and she had to get caught to ruin it. She knew her team would make the trade but afterwards what would happen? Surely he knew that her team would try to capture them but why did Torchwick look so confident? What did he have up his sleeve? The sound of Blake speaking interrupted her thoughts. “How do we know that Ruby is alright?”

“Listen for yourself.” Turning back towards her Ruby saw him outstretch both scrolls towards her. He pressed a few buttons on each and then said “Alright everyone's on speaker now so if you could be a dear Red and say something to prove you're actually here and not dead that would be lovely.”

“Hello everyone.” Said Ruby meekly. She was still upset at herself for being caught and the whole ordeal was embarrassing.

“Hey… Just give me that… No it's mine.” Ruby heard in between static. Coming from his scroll she heard Weiss speak “Ruby are you alright? What did you get yourself into now? Did he hurt you in any way?”

“Not really, I mean I hurt my head a little…”

Ruby was interrupted by Yang screaming “WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU TORCHWICK I’M GOING TO RIP OFF YOUR-”

Closing both calls at that second Roman muttered “I don't want to hear the end to that.” Returning his attention to Ruby he said “So it's just us again. How about you tell me just how you knew I would be here?”

“I told you I was lost.”

“Yeah that's not going to work on me. How about this? I'll offer you a trade.”

“Of what?”

“You tell me how you got your information and I won't make a splatter painting on the wall out of your head.”

Ruby felt herself go pale. “You... You wouldn't dare. You're using me as a hostage and the criminal never kills the hostage.”

With a laugh he said “My you still have quite a lot to learn about the underworld. And don't think you're safe just because they've got their hands on my accomplice.”

“But… But what about the deal?!”

“Oh come now we're professionals. The two of us have gotten out of worse situations.” Aiming his cane at her head he said “Besides if I kill you I don't care what happens to her.”

“Based off of your reaction I disagree.” Said Ruby never removing her eyes from the barrel pointed at her.

“It's not like she would break under interrogation. No prison can hold her. She can take care of herself and besides with you gone then a long embedded thorn is removed from my side.”

“But I thought… It looked like-”

“It looked like you were going to make it out of this. Well that is entirely up to you. All you have to do is tell me how you knew I was going to be here.” 

“You're joking about this.”

“Does it look like I'm joking about this?” Said Roman waving his cane a little ways from her and fired. Ruby had closed her eyes and braced herself for the explosion but she heard none. In fact what she heard sounded like little kids screaming “Yeah” excitedly. Opening one eye she saw confetti falling from the end of his cane. Looking at his face she saw his eye twitching as he stood there motionless. He fired again and again but with the same result. Ruby couldn't help but laugh. 

“Don't you laugh at me!” He snapped. “This isn't supposed to happen! Those damn mystery rounds! I was expecting fire, ice, or lightning not this!” 

“I'm sorry I can't help myself.” Said Ruby in between laughs.

“Well I'm glad I can be here for your amusement. Now if you excuse me I need to commit random acts of violence upon several ugly pieces of artwork on this floor.”

“Why?”

“To avoid hitting you. I'll be gone for about twenty minutes. Don't you go running off anywhere.”

He walked around the corner and she instantly heard very destructive sounds combined with a large amount of what sounded like profanity that she had never heard before. Between his cries of anger and sounds of mayhem Ruby began to think about what he said while trying to worm her way out of her cloak. _“How does he know Cobalt? I remember Cobalt saying that he had killed others before but how does Torchwick apply into this? What has he not told me yet? Or maybe he just chose someone at random and decided to mess with my mind? He would be the kind to do that sort of thing. But how would I bring it up? It's not as if I can walk right up to him and say ‘Hello. Turns out Torchwick broke out of prison and has a personal vendetta to kill you. Could you tell me everything about your dark past to explain why?’ Plus where was he today? He skipped all of school and meals too. I hope he hasn't run off because of me. How stupid am I? Even if I wasn't expecting it I shouldn't have backed away from the kiss. He was in a point of weakness and needed something to hold onto and I wasn't there for him. No amount of fretting over it now will change anything. I'll think of something next time I see him. But first I have to get out of here. What would have happened if Torchwick had not brought his phony rounds? Would he have killed me otherwise? He certainly had the eyes of a killer that's for sure. But he refrained from hitting me and decided to hurt the artwork instead. Why?”_ Ruby’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her captor leaning on the wall. 

“I have a bit of a suggestion. Next time when you try to use your legs to unhook yourself make sure you're not wearing a dress. Or if you are then wear more than just underwear underneath.”

Ruby looked at what he was talking about and instantly brought her legs down blushing. “Pervert!” She yelled.

“You're the one who was flashing me. I can't help it if I come back to see such things.”

“Why are you back so quickly?” Ruby grumbled.

“I ran out of art to desecrate. Simple as that. I've got nothing left to do so it's time to deliver you to your friends.”

“Weren't you going to kill me?”

“Oh please. As much as I'd like you out of my life I wouldn't kill you. You've pissed me off but not enough to end your life.” 

Roman unhooked her from the wall and held her off the ground with his cane. Placing it over his back he carried her like a knapsack on a stick. A very annoyed Ruby kicked and tried to shake herself off to no avail. He carried her over towards the stairwell taking good care to make sure she could not reach anything while they were descending. Reaching a door named “Modern Art” with the number 7 hanging above he tested the door to find it unlocked. Heading inwards he continued into the main viewing room. Behind the two of them was a large wall of paintings while in front lay almost floor to ceiling windows across the square room. Illuminated by the moonlight, Ruby could see her teammates waiting with their arms crossed with Neo kneeling down on the floor. Neo’s hands were tied in front of her and they held her between Blake and Weiss. They all looked rather beat up with Yang having the precursor of a black eye and bruises covering all of them. Neo on the other hand looked relatively unharmed compared to the others. Yang was the first to speak. She took a step forward and said “Ruby! Are you alright?”

As quick as a flash Ruby felt herself have her back pressed up against her captor’s torso with a familiar blade pressed up against her throat. “Whoa there Blondie! Let's not get hasty shall we?” Ruby heard him say. “I'm all for handing the little brat over but I'm going to need you to hand over Neo first.”

Weiss said “That's not going to happen.”

“I'm sorry but I think it is. You'll see I can be very persuasive.”

“You hand over Ruby then we'll talk.” Said Yang through gritted teeth and fire in her eyes.

“I'm sorry but have you seen this knife. It's an old hunting knife of mine. I've had it since I was a boy. Every person I've ever killed has had their spark of life extinguished by this knife. Trust me when I say that many of them were younger than this fine rose in my arms. I suggest that you listen to what I say if you don't want me to increase my kill count in one, smooth, effortless motion.”

Ruby saw her team back off as fear began to collect in their eyes. But she also saw something else odd. Neo was moving. In fact she had been moving the entire time. Her hands tied in front of her were making all sorts of shapes and motions that just looked like they were jittery. She would have thought nothing off it if it was not for a persistent tapping on the side of her waist where Torchwick's other arm pressed her towards him. His hand was primarily hidden but she could tell from the tapping that it was just barely visible and that it was making similar motions. It clicked in her head. The two of them were communicating and he was just talking to distract them. About to speak out she felt the knife press up against her with more force preventing her from speaking. 

“What say you Kitty? I haven't heard you speak yet. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

“I swear I will not stop hunting you down until you lie rotting behind bars or in a ditch.”

“Such hostility! Come now you don't really mean that. Remember our discussion on the train?”

“The only thing I remember is you spewing shit from your mouth and the sound of my foot coming into contact with your head!”

“Good lord somebody's feisty today! If it pleases you I have been having a small pain in the back of my neck since that day. Well I say let's wrap this up. It's been a pleasure to see you all again but I'm afraid I must bid you all farewell. Come on Neo it's time we give them one hell of a show.”

With that he released Ruby and she felt a heavy kick hit her back sending her flying towards her team. Hitting the floor in between the two parties she saw the entire event occur in five seconds. Neo jumped up and did a roundhouse kick with both legs sending Blake backwards and Weiss forwards. On the back of Weiss on the floor lay her umbrella which Neo ran over and kicked towards Roman. Catching it in midair he unsheathed the blade and did a cut over his head while Neo somersaulted over him. The sword cut through her hand bindings and she landed behind him free. Sheathing the blade he tossed the umbrella behind him where she caught it and rejoined his side. Yang charged with her Ember Celica ready to fire but to Ruby’s surprise Roman aimed his cane and fired an actual round thus knocking her sister back towards where Blake lay. All of them now stared at the two criminals who had been able to turn the situation in their favor in a single moment. Roman pulled out his lighter to light another cigar. “Red it has been a pleasure. Unfortunately this is where we part ways. Oh but I have two things to say before we part. One is here's your oversized gardening tool. Don't leave that lying around where it could fall into wrong hands like mine. Second is let's just say that there is a reason as to why I'm called ‘Torchwick’.” He lit his lighter but this time a two foot hell flame erupted. He dropped it at his feet where the floor instantly caught fire and spread rapidly. The fire crept up Roman's legs and body as well as Neo's until they were engulfed in flames. But the flames did not seem to be hurting them. Roman burst out into a maniacal laughter once his body was consumed in fire. As the flames became denser the two criminals began to morph into the fire until they were nothing but flames in a humanoid shape. The shapes began to fade outwards until they were indistinguishable from the surrounding fire. The laughing stopped and there was no sign of them anywhere.

They were gone. Somehow they pulled off another stunt like how they did with the stolen Paladin. One second they were there and the other they were gone. Snapping back from her awe of her enemy's strange escape Ruby recomposed herself. As nice as a it would be to relax after such an event the flames were not dying down. They were growing abnormally fast and before Ruby knew it the flames had blocked the exits. Smoke was filling the room quickly and she was not sure how much longer they could last. Calling over to Weiss, Ruby said in between coughs from the smoke “Weiss… Can you… get us out of here?” Weiss took Myrtenaster and shot a line of ice dust towards the exit but to no avail. “Weiss why isn't it working?” Asked Ruby anxiously.

“This fire is burning a very fine quality of fire dust. Unless I can match it in quality I can't put it out.”

Yang interjected saying “But you're the heiress to the Schnee family! How can you not match it? How is it possible that he could get his hands on something that potent?”

After several more tries Weiss said “I don't know but this isn't working!”

Blake turning towards Ruby said “Ruby what do you suggest we do?”

Ruby felt all eyes look towards her. Looking into the faces of each of them she knew that she would do anything to protect them no matter the risk. Pulling out Crescent Rose, Ruby hip fired a bullet towards the window behind her shattering it. “We jump.”

“Ruby are you crazy we're seven stories high!” Shouted Weiss over the sound of the ever growing flames burning.

“You and Blake jump fir-” Began Ruby until she a large bang and the world turn black.

Coming to she looked around to see that she was falling and so was the rest of her team. A large plume of fire and smoke spewed out of the widow they were looking out of just seconds before. Yang and Blake appeared to be conscious but Weiss looked like she was out. Screaming desperately “WEISS!” Ruby saw her jerk awake. Looking down Weiss instantly activated her semblance forming four individual glyphs to catch each one of them just feet from the ground. All of them landed safely on the glyphs for a few seconds until they disappeared with each team member hitting the ground with a soft “Humph”. They all laid there in silence for a few moments until Ruby started laughing. Laughing at how they were all still alive even after all they just went through. Laughing in joy of each of their lives being able to continue. Soon the rest of her team joined in just laughing while lying down on the sidewalk in front of the burning building. 

Just as quickly as it started it ended with the sound of a low rumble from above. Looking up they saw a bullhead take off from the roof. Just before the doors closed they saw the orange haired menace drop some blinking red object towards the building. When it reached about halfway down the side it released a large flash of light that simultaneously created explosions all throughout the side of the building. Glass and brick raining down, team RWBY jerked up ran out of the way towards the other side of the road. All cars stopped on the road to gaze at the sight before them. Ruby making it over last out of making sure that no cars were passing rejoined her team at the other side. Looking into their faces she saw horror directed at the art museum behind her. Turning around Ruby saw a sight that made her face drain of color.

Through all the smoke she saw fires raging inside the building but that was not what was worst about it. The flames filled the holes caused by the explosions in the form of a shape. A massive shape that spread across the entire face of the building. It was a jack o'lantern made out of pure hellfire. It was Torchwick’s insignia now blazing out for all of Vale and the world to see. Roman Torchwick was back and there was nothing that the government, Ironwood, or Ozpin could say or do about it.

A/N: Want more Rosewick? Check out my other story "Rose Petals Scattering in the Wind" sometime. It's a one-shot I wrote a little while back. You might like it.


	15. Aftermath

The sun was shining bright through the windows of Beacon giving a sense of peace that contrasted the outside world. Cobalt walked through the empty halls with his footsteps echoing throughout the school. Technically he should not have been in the halls but if there was one thing he loved about rules: it was breaking them. But even then he expected more people to be disobedient. So what if Beacon was in lockdown? He expected there to be panicking throughout the school. Even with nobody in sight he could sense the tension that was held in everyone's hearts. After all who would not be nervous after what had happened?

Massive riots ran through the streets of Vale bringing nothing but chaos in its wake. All caused by one man and his need to show off. Cobalt smiled and congratulated himself on a job well done. The next morning after what the news were calling “The Revelation of Torchwick” the world now knew his name. What's more is that with his “revelation” he brought hell upon the city. Riots ran rampant while the government as well as hunters and huntresses across the world tried their best to prevent total anarchy. The eye of the press around the world focused upon Vale and the havoc in it. One could not view news that did not cover video of riots, video of his well-placed insignia, or interviews of politicians blaming each other. The masses had lost most of its trust within the government. They now viewed it as an enemy entity. After all why would the government not tell anyone about one of the world's most dangerous criminals escaping? Just the thought of it made Cobalt chuckle to himself. This was nothing. This was just a minor push. Although Cinder had not told him what she had planned next she let him know that this was just a pebble and a boulder would soon follow. Although the boulder would not strike soon, he was perfectly happy with how the pebble was fairing. 

The only thing preventing him from opening up a bottle of champagne and celebrating was a small nagging voice in the back of his head. A voice of disapproval that sounded an awful lot like Ruby’s but yet also his own. It kept bringing him down whenever he would become too excited about the mayhem and Cobalt was intent on finding out why. This voice was never there until Ruby became more than an annoyance. He thought that maybe he could get the voice to leave if he cleared things with Ruby. 

Intent on finding her he traveled through the hallways making it to Ruby’s room. After calling for her several times to no avail he moved on. He scoured the school in search of her but to no avail. Eventually giving up on his search he resided to an overly large window by the front of the school. He could see from this spot some of the riots spreading through the streets. The situation seemed a bit extreme for what he did but he had to give Cinder praise for this. A few well-placed white fang members as well as some bribed officials allowed fear to spread much faster than it would have. Fear was like a virus. It always started off isolated until it spread faster and faster and turned into a pandemic. Cinder just provided some well needed kindling for the fire he set. Suddenly interrupting his thoughts he heard a voice speak softly.

“Cobalt?” He heard her say. Turning around he saw Ruby had just turned around the corner and was facing his direction.

“In the flesh.”

“Where were you? You disappeared.”

“I decided to take a mental health day. I'm sorry I didn't give any notice. Something came up that I had to take care of.”

“You mean like alcohol.” He heard her sternly say. She walked over to him looking like she was going to slap him. Bracing for the expected sting he was surprised to find her wrapping her arms around him. “I know that you were upset” She said in between tears. “But that is no reason to drink. Ever.”

“How did you know?”

“I can smell it all over you. Wait is that also tobacco?”

With a sigh Cobalt said “So I've got some habits I'm not particularly proud of. What's the big deal?”

“The big deal!” Ruby practically yelled. “The big deal is that you ran off without telling anyone! You left without any regard for the people who care for you to do what?! Drink and smoke! If you haven't noticed there are riots outside and I didn't know if you would come back!” Suddenly becoming very quiet she muttered “Especially after we kissed. I just left you there. You were vulnerable and I just pushed you away.”

With a somber voice Cobalt said “Ruby you are not at fault. I overstepped my boundaries by several miles. I wasn't thinking at all. I know you must be getting tired of me saying it but I'm sorry. I just… I've made enough mistakes that it's hard not too.”

Without warning he felt a sting cross his face, a squeeze of their hug, then another slap. A bewildered Cobalt asked “What was that?”

“The first was because you left and made me worry. The second was because you came back. The third is for the drinking and smoking. Come on, follow me.” She said grabbing his hand and guiding him forward. She picked up in speed going into a fast run.

“As much as I enjoy sprinting I also like to know why I'm doing so. Could you please clarify?”

“Everybody who hasn't gone home or dwelling in their dorms has to help out with the relief force in some way. Everyone has to help or stay out of the way of those that are. We're using the med-bay sector as a location where people can get help and stay while the others take care of the rioters. You're going to help me help them.”

He was thankful that he was behind her and she could not see him rolling his eyes. They continued on until they reached an area that looked hospital like. The main doors were open allowing people to freely come in and out. Outside he could see a fence with many hunters and huntresses guarding it against anybody who might bring violence towards this area of peace. Inside they were giving medical care and outside they were handing out food and water. He saw many students but he did not see anyone he could name. Bringing this to Ruby’s attention he asked “Ruby. You said everyone either had to stay in lockdown or assist right?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Well knowing your ragtag group of friends I would expect to see them helping in some way, shape or form. May I ask where they are?”

Counting them off Ruby said “Well Weiss went to go see if she could get in a shipment of dust powered nonlethal weapons from her father’s company. Yang, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha left to go contain the riots.”

Looking around for a moment Cobalt asked “Where's the silent and the hyperactive one?”

“You mean Ren and Nora? They should have been here.” Just as she finished saying that she heard a gunshot overhead from the roof. They stepped outside and looked up to see an excited Nora riding her hammer through the air with a loud “WEEEE!” They stared in confusion and wonder at Nora bringing her hammer down upon a group of rioters who had gotten too close. Running past the two of them they saw a green flash as Ren ran to her side. “That should answer your question.” Said Ruby right before she grabbed a large box and handed it to Cobalt.

“Excuse me?”

“I brought you here to help and you're going to do so whether you like it or not. Now go distribute these sandwiches to the hungry.”

“And when I finish with this box?”

“I have plenty more where that came from. I'll find something for you to do.”

“Alright then.” Said Cobalt reluctantly. He was not a person known to be helping people. He found the entire situation rather ironic. He was offering relief to those impacted by his actions. Nevertheless he was shocked by how many people were there. After his fifth box he said to Ruby “I'm quite surprised by just how many people there are. I mean this only started last night right?”

“Yeah but the section that the rioters hit first was the poor sector of the city. A lot of homes were burned down and many of these people don't have a place to call home anymore.”

“Oh.” After a short pause he continued. “Well that makes the situation a lot more grim. Actually now that I think about it how have the Grimm been reacting to this?”

“From what I've heard Ironwood’s troops are taking care of them. There's been a large spike in Grimm population and it's as much of a fight out there as it is in here.”

“Do you think that there's any chance of them breaking in?”

“I don't think so but hunters and huntresses from throughout the world have arrived or are on their way to help. Once they all arrive we should be fine.”

Finishing his box he left to go fetch another. On the way he looked over and saw a group of shouting children standing in a circle. Walking over he saw that a group of around ten kids between the ages of twelve to fourteen encircling three younger ones who could be no older than eight. The tallest of the older ones stood in the middle with his hand outstretched looking like he was expecting a tip. Two of the three hid behind the third who held out his sandwich with his arm shaking the whole time. The tallest one took the food and with the snap of his fingers the others grabbed sticks and other materials to hit the younger ones. Now storming over, Cobalt rolled back his sleeves to activate his electric gloves dubbed Joybuzzer. Adjusting the potency with a small dial on the back of his hand he set it to a proper setting. Stopping right in front of them he cleared his throat loudly to gain their attention. “So what do we have here?”

“Get lost you tramp. This doesn't involve you.” Responded a husky voice coming from the tall one who was eating the sandwich he stole.

Looking almost eye to eye Cobalt took advantage of the two inch difference to lean over and scold. “Actually I think it does. You stole from a child and if there is one thing I hate most it’s a thief.”

“I ain't no thief. He gave it to me clear as day. Now I suggest you get lost before anyone gets hurt.”

“You're sure in a position to be making threats. Besides how can you fight if you're asleep?” Said Cobalt placing a hand on the child’s shoulder. A small click sounded and the kid fell to his knees, eyes rolling into the back of his head, and collapsed in front of the others. “Oops. Well there I go again. How about the rest of you scram? Before any of you get sleepy...” Said Cobalt giving them a menacing grin. He could see the gang’s faces pale as they slowly backed away and turned into an all-out sprint. Watching them run he gave a small chuckle before he brought his attention to the three younger ones who were being picked on. Giving them a welcoming expression he took off and pocketed Joybuzzer, then handed them his own lunch. He saw in their faces the same fear that the gang had but the three of them appeared to be frozen. Seeing how they quivered from his presence he set the plastic wrapped sandwich down on the grass and backed up to sit away from them. He sat down crossing his legs and waited patiently setting his hands in his lap. After a few minutes one of them crept out to grab the food then swiftly returned to their group. Ripping off the wrapping they broke it into thirds and just before any of them took a bite another one asked meekly “Are you sure you don't want any sir?”

With a smile Cobalt said “No, no. Really I'm not hungry. You kids enjoy the meal.”

Two of them began eating while the third asked “Did you kill him?”

“Oh goodness no! He was just being cranky. I'll let you know that I've found the best thing for crankiness is sleep. He should be awake again in about an hour. If he ever comes and picks on any of you again come find me alright?”

“Okay…”

Cobalt seeing that his job was done stood up and swept off his cloak. He turned around and began walking back towards the rations distribution table after bidding them farewell. After a few steps he heard one of the kids call out to him. “Mister?”

Turning around he saw the boy had stood up. “Yes.”

With a smile that gleamed with innocence and kindness he asked excitedly “Would you like to play a game?”

With a small chuckle Cobalt said “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

Running forward the boy poked his chest with his index finger before shouting “You're it!” and running off with his two friends.

Running after them at their pace as to make the game fair he called out with a laugh “Oh no you don't! You get right back here!”

* * *

Ruby just finished distributing her box of rations and turned to her side to get Cobalt to fetch another to discover he had not returned. Thinking about it she had not seen him in at least half an hour. She was so preoccupied that she did not notice his lack of presence. Looking around he was nowhere to be seen. Miffed she stormed off to find the lazy slacker. Eventually she saw him running around by the edge to the outing. Stepping through the crowd she made her way to him, preparing her speech as to how he should be helping others and not goofing off only to be surprised by what she saw. 

He was running around in an open spot smiling and laughing as he was chasing after small children. _“They're playing… Tag… With Cobalt?”_ She thought, her face contorting into a quizzical expression. The sight was laughable. With a small giggle she decided she would just leave him be. She turned around only to see Nora’s face inches away from her own. “Ahhhhh! Don't scare me like that Nora!” Yelled Ruby.

“Oh a little scare wouldn't hurt anybody. So what are you doing?”

“Cobalt hadn't returned for a while so I went looking for him. But I think I'll just let him continue what he's doing. He looks like he's having fun so I don't want to interfere.”

Looking beyond Ruby, Nora saw Cobalt running around with the other children and began laughing. Ruby said “Yeah. It's so unlike him but they seem to be having a good time.”

“Sooooo, have you told him yet?”

“Told him what?” Said Ruby raising an eyebrow.

“Oh you know. The thing.” Nora said nudging Ruby with her elbow.

“What thing? Everything around us is a thing so what are you talking about?”

“That you like him of course!” Said Nora raising her arms into the air. 

“What?! I-I-I don't like him like that!”

“You denied it which only confirms it!” Said Nora excitedly.

“That was a loaded question! Whatever I answered you would have said the same thing!”

“Why are you blushing then?”

“I'm not blushing!”

“Yes you are.”

“I am not!”

“Yes you are.”

“No I'm-”

“What have I just walked into?” Ruby heard someone say behind her. She turned to see Ren who had silently walked up behind them.

Nora now joining Ren’s side said “I was talking about how Ruby has a crush on Cobalt.”

Ruby yelled “NORA!” as she felt her blush turn an even deeper red.

“Oh you can't deny it anymore. I'll call him over so you can tell him.”

A pleading Ruby begged “Nora don't you dare-”

“Hey Cobalt!” Yelled Nora waving her arms and jumping in the air. “Ruby wants to tell you something!”

Ruby turned to Ren and muttered “Ren help me out here.”

Speaking up Ren said “Nora how about I make us some lunch?”

“Aww. But I want to see this!”

“It'll be pancakes.”

“Yay! See you later Ruby. Let me know how things work out.” Said Nora as she followed Ren inside.

Watching her leave Ruby released a large sigh. She saw Cobalt’s shadow come up behind her and she turned around to find him with a confused expression. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing important.”

“Based off of that one's excitement I would have to say otherwise.”

“It's nothing big. I was just curious as to why you were playing games with children.”

“Oh that. It was nothing.”

Pointing towards the children still playing tag with each other Ruby said mockingly “Based off of that one's excitement I would have to say otherwise.”

“Well played.” Said Cobalt in resignation. “Those three were being bullied and having their food stolen. I stepped in and brought a swift conclusion and offered my own lunch to them. I guess I made quite an impression as they asked me to join their game. End of story.”

“It doesn't sound like the end of the story.”

“What more could there be?”

Pinching his cheek and speaking as one would speak to a baby Ruby said “I think you got something for kids.”

Gently grabbing her hand and removing it from his face he said “no” and walked away.

“Cobalt! Where are you going?” Called out Ruby as she began pursuit. 

“I remember that I was late for something.” He called out over his shoulder as he weaved through the crowd.

“We don't have classes today. What could you possibly be late for?”

“Literally anything else.”

“You're just trying to avoid the conversation.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

“Oh come on. Being good with kids is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

After a few minutes of back and forth bickering of “yes you do” and “no I don't” Ruby made it to the end of the crowd to see that Cobalt had gotten pretty far ahead of her and was now leaning against a tree in the shade facing away from her. Walking forward and standing right next to him she said “Why don't you admit it? You like being with-”

“No I don't!” Cobalt yelled louder than he intended. He must have seen her flinch because his face quickly softened and he apologized. “I'm sorry Ruby. You just poked the bear one to many times. I didn't mean to yell.” He ended up slumping to the ground. Ruby soon joined him sitting down to his left. They sat right next to each other at the base of the tree enjoying how quiet it was compared to the med-bay. After a sigh he leaned his head back and said “Look I don't like kids. They keep on getting weirder every day. They're noisy, bothersome and rude. Not to mention having the energy of Professor Oobleck.”

“I believe that he prefers to be referred as Doctor Oobleck.” Said Ruby out of habit.

“I don't really care. The point is that although I don't like kids and I believe they all deserve a good spanking for something they've done, I don't want them to be in pain. They will see the horrors of the world eventually but for as long as they remain children they shouldn't have to see what we see. Do what we do. Think what we think. They should be concerned about when their next game of tag will be. Not if they will live through the morning or whether they will make another day without being hungry or beaten. They only get to be a child once so why not let them play the part. They should be able to enjoy that innocence of youth for as long as they can and if I can give a few kids a good day out of so many bad, then I say that was time well spent.”

Silence followed where the two of them just sat in the shade enjoying each other's company. Ruby eventually spoke up said softly “Wow.”

“Excuse me?”

“You're right. I just never expected to hear you say anything like that.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, seeing you considering others is new. You usually act like an inconsiderate idiot.”

“Ruby I may act like an idiot but that does not mean I am one.”

They continued to sit there looking up at the clouds through the dark green leaves, enjoying the calm and peaceful breeze blowing past them. The air smelled like honeysuckle and lilac. Cobalt rested his left arm on his knee and Ruby had sprawled out enjoying the shade. The peace and serenity continued for a few minutes until a large gust of wind hit them that knocked Cobalt’s arm off his knee. It fell over to his left landing right on Ruby’s open palm. Ruby felt herself get flustered but was quickly soothed by the sound of his laugh. Looking over she saw him smile and he said “I guess the wind is trying to tell us something isn't it?” Ruby laughed and interlocked her hand with his. It was soothing and exciting. She did not want to go anywhere or do anything. She wanted to sit there forever holding his hand, enjoying the day with his laugh fresh in mind. It was not his typical laugh though. Instead it had that sweet tone of youth in it as if it was not him but his younger self before he experienced so much misfortune. The soothing environment began to pull at her eyes and she felt them droop. Time defeating her, she drifted off into a peaceful nap.

A loud, sudden noise brought her back to consciousness with a start. Looking to her right she saw Cobalt jump up from his spot next to her and pull out his retractable sniper rifle, aiming it wildly to determine the cause of the sound. Based off his yawn and slowed reflexes she could tell that he must have fallen asleep too. Looking back towards the shelter she saw Nora having done a ground pound with her hammer. She could hear her from where they were. “Listen up everybody.” She yelled. “We've got more people coming who need our help. So let's make some room and treat them fairly. Or I will play one big game of whack-a-mole!” 

After that the crowd backed up as much as it could and spread over towards where Cobalt and Ruby were standing. The touching moment between the two of them died so Ruby resigned to go back to her duties. She weaved to the front of the crowd with Cobalt right behind her. They opened the gates and were prepared to give a warm welcome until they saw the people that walked through.

The new group of refugees walked in displaying their injuries to everyone. Most were bleeding or clutching an injury of some sort. Fellow huntsman helped carry the crippled and carried those who could not move on stretchers. There were people of all sorts. There were elderly who came walking in with canes and mothers who were desperately trying to calm down their children. There were people who walked in with battered suits and others wearing rags. Young, old, rich, poor, human and faunus all stood together helping support each other. Even with how different each person was there was something that they all shared: their eyes. They looked hallowed, empty and dead. Ruby just stared as they walked past feeling sympathy for them for whatever horrors they endured. Looking next to her she saw Cobalt with a similar expression. But there was something wrong with him. He was twitching slightly and his face looked contorted. He looked like he was fighting himself with his expression rapidly switching between terror and something else she could not quite tell. “Cobalt?” She said with a tone of concern in her voice. “Cobalt are you alright?” His expression did not change or even register that she said anything. Giving him a good slap and shaking him she said with fear evident in her tone “Cobalt. Please answer me. Are you alright?” Her fear began to rise that he would have another “Ruth” incident but they were dismissed when he shook his head rapidly and came to. 

“Sorry about that. I became preoccupied.”

“With what? What was that?”

“You don't want to know.” Just as he finished he was shaken again but this time not by Ruby. Looking back towards the newcomers he saw a man in his golden years wearing a bandage over his right eye who grasped his cloak.

“Sir. Please help me.” He said in an urgent raspy voice. His frame was shaking as he was using Cobalt as support.

Ruby handing him his cane that he dropped said “Of course. What do you need?”

Thanking her for the cane he released his grip on Cobalt and took a few deep breaths before speaking. “I need the help of huntsman. My son. I don't know if he or his wife is alive. I was able to escape with his child, my grandson, before those animals in human skin came by and attacked.” At the mention of him, the grandson peeked his head out from behind his grandfather and waved only to cower behind him again. He had purple hair with purple eyes to match. He could not have been older than six. “We were barely able to escape and my son and daughter in law confronted the rioters to hold them off. They told us to run and don't look back. Please. I need you to find them. I have money if you want that. I'll give you anything. Just please find them. I know I don't have much time left in this world and I can't leave my grandson on his own.” Said the old man now in tears.

Ruby went to his side to try to calm him down. She felt truly sorry for him. But what happened next shocked her. Cobalt just walked off. He just turned and started walking towards the gates. Yelling at him she said “Cobalt! How can you just leave this man?! I thought you had a heart!”

Looking over his shoulder he responded with “What are you talking about? I'm off to fetch this man’s lost son. I don't know what you're doing just standing there. And sir don't worry about repaying us. It's no trouble at all.”

“Oh thank you!” The man said. “Here's a picture of the two of them to identify them. Their names are Sorrel and Lavender Crocus. We live on the corner of the market district and business district. A large flower shop. You can't miss it.”

“Thank you sir. Come on Ruby. We need to be on our merry way.”

Ruby stood there flabbergasted. “What? Wha-Wha? Hey Cobalt wait up!” She ran after him with her mind full of questions. It would take some time to make it to the flower shop so she would have time to ask them. Making it to Cobalt’s side she walked out the gate and faced the city. It looked dormant as if it was in a deep slumber needing to be awoken. The two of them stepped out into the city that is never supposed to sleep.


	16. A Stroll through the City

“Cobalt what are you doing?” Asked Ruby. They had been walking in the streets of Vale but he took a sharp and sudden turn down an alley.

“As much fun as bashing a few skulls together would be, I'd prefer to refrain from doing so. We should be able to avoid most of them by taking back roads like this. Besides I thought a peaceful walk would be nice. And when I say walk I mean walk, not traveling at the speed of a bullet.”

“Okay but how do you know where to go? You're from Atlas. This is your first time in Vale right?”

“Nope. I've been here before. Several times actually.”

“Oh. I guess me showing you the city was boring then.”

He must have heard her upset tone so he wanted to lift her spirits. “No it wasn't. Trust me I enjoyed it. Whenever I've been here it's been work related.”

“What do you mean work? Like school?”

He scratched the back of his neck and hesitantly said “No. Remember what I said I did to survive after my parents passed?”

“Oh… Right… That kind of work…”

Having said that she remembered her conversation with Torchwick the night before. About how Cobalt should be dead. That they were somehow connected. She knew that she had to ask him but how? She could not just blurt it out. “Maybe if I warm him up first with some other questions he'd tell me.” She thought.

“So Cobalt I was wondering…”

“Yes.”

“Well I was just wondering why you chose to help that man and go on this rescue mission? It doesn't seem like you to that.”

With a smirk he said “I did it because of you.”

“Oh. Why did you do it for me then?”

“Ruby in the short time we've known each other I've learned an awful lot about you. You're predictable. Your innocent nature and morals gives a pretty clear impression as to what you will do next. I knew you would go on this search whether I joined you or not. So I thought I better come along. As insurance.”

“Insurance of what?”

“Protection might be a better way to phrase it.”

“Hey! I can take care of myself!”

“With that oversized gardening tool I have no doubt that you can. Keeping that in mind, do remember that we are walking through a city practically brought to its knees by lawless riots. If something were to happen then there would be nobody to save you.”

“I'm not some princess needing to be saved!”

“I never said you were. You have remarkable fighting abilities and I know you can beat many in a fight. I'm just here to make sure that if anything were to go wrong that someone would be there to help. I just worry sometimes.”

“You don't need to worry about me silly.”

“Actually I would take that as a compliment. There's very few people in this world that I care for and you should consider it fortunate that you're one of them.”

After a period of silence Ruby spoke up again. “So who are the others?”

He face palmed and sighed “You really want to play twenty questions don't you?”

“I just thought it would help the time pass.”

“Fine. On one condition. Every question you ask me I get to ask you one as well. Deal?”

A slightly wary Ruby said “Deal.”

“Excellent. In that case the answer to your question as to who else I care for is my team. Now what to ask you?” 

“Hey that wasn't a full answer.”

“What do you mean it wasn't a full answer? You asked who else I care for and I told you my team. What else am I missing?”

“I don't know but you just made it really short. I expected something more about how their special to you or something.”

“There are three other living beings currently alive that I care for their safety and protection. Those three being are part of a team with yours truly as leader. They compose of two males and one female with whom I share a sense of family. Now was that a long enough answer for you?”

“No you just said the same thing over again using more words.”

“Isn't that what you asked me to do?” Said Cobalt with a grin.

Ruby now finding that she was getting nowhere with him gave up. Crossing her arms and pouting she said “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Do you know where my glasses are?”

With a quizzical look Ruby asked “What?”

“My sunglasses. When I came too outside the theater I didn't have them on. Either you have them or I left them there.”

Ruby avoided his gaze. She hoped that he would just forget about them. She did not really mind them but the way he wore them made it feel as if he was wearing a mask. She did still have them but she felt as if giving them back would be a step backwards for him. “I don't know where they are. They must have been left there.” 

“Ruby do you remember what I said earlier?”

“About what?”

“The part where you are predictable. I forgot to mention that you have a horrible poker face. So I will ask you again. Where are my glasses?”

A pouting Ruby said “Why do you need them? It's clear that you can see just fine without them.”

Seeing that he was going to have to fight for them he breathed a large sigh. “Ruby I have made many mistakes and I'm not proud of some things I've done. Unfortunately on several occasions I have done acts considered unforgivable. Those I have affected do not forget my face and my glasses are a form of protection.”

“But it's like you hide yourself. I know it's just an accessory but you change when you wear it.”

“I told you I wear it for protection.” He said with a little bit of an edge in his voice.

“Just how does it protect you? All it does is hide your personality!” Said Ruby raising her voice.

He turned and snapped back at Ruby. “Because not everyone is like you! You see only the good in people's souls but completely disregard all evil. I don't know what you saw in me when we first met but do you know what the rest of the world sees? They see a wolf in sheep's clothing. I need my glasses back!”

Ruby stopped walking but saw Cobalt continue onward stomping his feet with every step to control his anger. Looking down she quietly muttered “I saw pain.”

He froze and turned around to face her. Ruby continued saying “I saw someone who had given up on happiness and joy. Someone who was one stroke away from drowning in their own suffering. But you could still be helped. It wasn't too late for someone to come in and reverse the damage done.”

He began to nod his head back and forth as if he was arguing with his own thoughts. Something looked off. After a moment of silence he said coldly “So you're telling me… that you've done all of this… out of pity?” 

Ruby was shocked he could think such a thing. “What? No. None of this was because of pity. I saw a life I could change and make better. I saw a lost soul who with some nudges could be pointed into the right direction again.”

“It's going to take a lot more than a few nudges to accomplish that.” He scoffed. Was he trying to agitate her? Where did this sudden foul mood come from?

“Then I'll shove as long as it takes. I'm not going to let you give up.”

After studying her, he turned back around and kept walking. Calling over his shoulder he said “Come on we need to keep moving.”

“You shouldn't brush something like this off.”

“Just because I shouldn't doesn't mean I won't. Anyway in the mean time I'll let you hold on to the glasses since you're so determined to have them.” He then muttered under his breath just barely loud enough for her to hear “Not like I've got a choice anyway.” Bringing his voice back to normal volume he said “It's your turn now to ask me a question.”

Ruby did not want to just leave that conversation but he seemed determined to move on and she doubted she could stop him. At least she could make the topic more positive this time. “Alright. What about your team? Who are they? What are they like?”

“Each of those counts as its own individual question.”

“That's no fair!” Said Ruby crossing her arms and pouting.

“All's fair in love and war.” He said with his familiar smirk coming back.

“Meanie face.”

“Well someone is a sore loser. Don't you give me puppy eyes either. That's never worked on me.”

Ruby jumped in front of him and immediately brought out her puppy eyes. Little by little she could tell that is was starting to work. Just when she was about to win he said “Ruby stop.”

“Not till you give up!” She said playfully.

He stopped walking and said with some concern evident in his voice “Ruby please stop.” No doubt it was that he was losing this battle of resisting her cuteness. 

“Never!”

She saw him grab his staff from his waist and bring it into sniper rifle mode. He aimed it at her head yelling “Ruby! Stop now!”

“Cobalt what's going on?” Just as she finished her sentence she saw him fire. A bolt of blue electricity flew towards her but just as she thought it would strike her she felt it brush past her ear and singe some of her hair. A large crackle sound erupted behind her and she could see her shadow cast in blue light. Turning around she saw a man standing over her. Jumping back towards Cobalt she fell and looked at her attacker from the ground. The man was holding a machete raised in the air and was frozen. Blue electricity flew in and out of him as he made sharp and irregular breaths. She saw Cobalt walk past where she lay and stand in front of the man. Rolling back his sleeve he grabbed the man’s face with his black and glowing blue glove. She heard a crack and the man's body fell limp, only held up by Cobalt’s hand. He threw the attacker so he landed on his back into the road just beyond the alley they were in. 

Looking back at her Cobalt smugly said “This is why I wanted to come along.”

Ruby stared at the unconscious man and whispered “Is he dead?”

Rolling his eyes and groaning Cobalt responded with “No he's not dead. Why is it that everyone thinks that when I electrocute someone they're dead? He's just knocked out cold. He’ll be fine.” Looking back at the twitching body lying in the street he corrected himself. “He should be fine.” He held out his hand to help her back up. All Ruby could do was stare at his hand that just brought a grown man into a twitching mess. He must have seen her gaze as he quickly retracted it back. He then awkwardly tried to extend out the rest of his arm for her to grab onto while keeping his gloves away from her and himself. “Sorry you had to see that. Come on. We should keep moving.”

They continued on crossing a few roads and avoiding anyone they came across. Once they made it to another series of alleys they resumed their conversation. “Ruby you wanted to know about my team right?”

“Yeah. You don't really talk about them so I'm curious.”

“Alright let's start with Cindy. Let's just say that calling her vertically challenged is an understatement. Wearing the highest heels she can she just scratches the four foot nine inch mark. But don't call her short or you'll regret it. She'll find revenge in some way and nothing is to low for her to do. I've gotten in trouble with her for doing that. She has long brown hair with a few streaks of white. Her semblance is memory based illusions. She loves ice cream and will find a way to work it into everything. Another key feature is that she's mute.”

“She's mute? What does that mean?”

“She can hear just fine but she can't speak. Just like me each member of my team have troublesome pasts. At age eight she ticked off the wrong people. There was a fight of five against one and she won but not without being scarred. One of them hit her in the neck with a bat and broke her vocal chords. They never healed and while she can speak it isn't understandable and it causes her great pain to do so.”

“That's awful.”

“Yes it is. She communicates through writing and signing so we can still talk but it isn't the same. Her brother on the other hand is the exact opposite of her. He's almost as tall as that one tan guy in the green armor at school.”

“Oh you mean Yatsuhashi.”

“Yes that one. He's a titan and is just a strong as one. He has really short hair, almost military like. Raphael is a peculiar one. I think he owns a club or two. I've never seen him be hurt physically but everything he becomes attached to he loses and it's taken a toll on him. He's quick to anger and is always the one who tries to keep all of us out of danger. You can take almost anything material from him and he won't mind but you hurt someone he cares for, well, let's just say you better hope a doctor is in the room. Now I've only seen him use his semblance on scarce occasion but if you tick him off enough he'll use it. He can turn his skin into steel and it's an understatement to say that it packs a punch.”

“He sounds like a tough guy to be around.”

“Once you get to know him he's just a big teddy bear.”

“What about the other?”

“Well then there's Norman. He's a real quiet one around strangers but get to know him and you'd wish he'd shut his trap. He's good with all kinds of technology and electrics. I would describe him a scout type. If we need eyes on the situation he's the man for the job.” He chuckled lightly at the end of that sentence.

“What's so funny?”

“I just realized what I said. You see he's a faunus and you know how they're supposed to have fantastic vision.”

“Yeah.”

“Well he's the only faunus I've ever known to need glasses. He can hardly see without them but with them he is better than a hawk. While he needs glasses to see at all times he makes up for it with his semblance. He can see in all spectrums of electromagnetic radiation.”

“What?”

“I mean he can see not just visible light but also radio, microwave, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma waves.”

“What?”

“Us humans can only see three main colors: red, yellow and blue. He can see about 150 main colors as well as being able to see through walls.”

“That's so cool!”

“Yes. Many would give everything for such a trait. He doesn't treat it as a gift though.”

“Why?”

“It was with his ‘sight’ that he watched his parents die.”

The pair became unusually quiet with his last statement almost echoing. Ruby after being fed up with the depressing atmosphere that had enveloped them said “Let's change the subject. This is getting a little depressing.”

“If you wish I can tell you a funny story about them.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“Well first things first you need to know that Raphael is not the most perceptive person. He misunderstood signals of friendship between Cindy and Norman as them flirting. He created this elaborate plan to get the two together. He tricked the two of them into going out to eat saying that he wanted to talk to both of them but never showed. So the two of them waited on him for four hours and eventually left. They found Raphael across the street reading a newspaper waiting to see if anything clicked between the two. Instead of watching a romance envelope all he got was two very hungry and angry teenagers yelling at him. 

What makes it funnier is that even if the plan was foolproof he forgot one key detail. Both Cindy and Norman are very openly gay. They would've never had been able to fall for each other. Norman was already in a relationship and Cindy made it pretty clear that she had no interest in men at all. Yet Raphael was too dense to see any of it.” After a short pause he followed up with “Kind of like Jaune.”

“Yeah he's not good at picking up hints.”

“Seriously I've talked to the guy only around three times and I can easily see that Pyrrha likes him. How is it that he spends every day with her and hasn't picked up on it?”

“It's one of life's greatest mysteries. But you know that Yang has done something similar to your story too. She has at one time or another tried to pair up almost everyone at school.”

“I can see that. How did it fair?”

“About as well as your story. The only times she ever got close was with Ren and Nora as well as Jaune and Pyrrha. Ren and Nora already had something going on that we still have yet to figure and Jaune was to dense to pick up on the hint.”

“Why am I not surprised? Even though I didn't see it I bet that was very entertaining to watch. Maybe I'll stumble upon her trying again sometime.”

“Yeah, maybe.” 

The awkwardness that had arisen before returned again as they walked onward in silence. It was his turn to ask her a question but he seemed content with the silence as it was. So they kept moving forward. When crossing in and out of alleys they had to knock out the occasional rioter that they could not sneak past. As time would go on they would exchange minor conversation with the occasion humorous story being told. Ruby recognizing one of the streets they were on knew that they were close. Just another alley and they should be there. She looked up at the sky to check the time. The sky had turned orange and the sun was setting. Ruby was getting antsy. They were almost there and she had still yet to gather the courage to ask him about what Torchwick had said.

Suddenly Ruby saw Cobalt stop walking and turn towards her. He said “Spill it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you that you have a horrible poker face. Something is bothering you and I've been waiting for you to say it but I'm tired of seeing it eat you alive. So what did you want to say?”

Ruby only stared at her feet. She needed to get better at hiding her curiosity. For most of the day the question of his connection with Torchwick had been eating at her. Finally saying something she said “Well you were gone yesterday so you wouldn't have known it but my team did some investigating.”

Raising an eyebrow he asked “What kind of investigating?”

“Well we've got this thing going on where when we start something we don't want to stop till it's complete. We were responsible for the arrest of Roman Torchwick, you know, the guy who caused all of this.”

“Yes I'm quite familiar with the man.”

“Yeah well as you know from the news he broke out. The public was right when they were told that the higher ups knew. Ozpin told us that there was a chance of catching him but it would be dangerous. So we accepted the mission and were at the art museum when it was attacked.”

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Wait a minute. How did Ozpin know he was going to be there?”

“He said he got his information from a reliable source. Anyway while I was there I got captured by Torchwick.”

“He didn't hurt you in any way did he?” Cobalt said while checking her for wounds.

She pushed his hands away and said “No he didn't but…”

“But what?”

Ruby made sure to look him straight in the eye to say “But he said he knew you. He said that you were supposed to be dead. Cobalt is this true?”

He froze. His face paled and she could see the gears twisting in his head on how to get out of this one. He kind of looked like Yang when she says “ah shit” after she forgot something really important. He shuffled a bit and said “Well… You see… There's a multitude of factors-”

Ruby fearing the answer heard a crack in her voice when she said “This is a yes or no question.”

Looking away from her he sighed deeply and admitted “Yes.”

“Cobalt?” Ruby whispered.

Just as she finished a large explosion went off that shook the ground and illuminated the alleyway. The two of them ran outwards to see what happened. When Ruby made it out of the alley she saw a horrifying sight. In front of her lay a flower shop completely engulfed in flames to the point that it was barely identifiable. She fell to her knees and softly muttered “No.” 

She saw Cobalt with a stern face walk past her towards the building. He stopped right in front of it and stared at the ground. He pulled something out of his cloak and held it before him. It was the picture the old man had given him. A gust of wind blew and took it from his hands. Ruby ran forward and grabbed it, only to look back towards Cobalt to see a sight that made her blood run cold. In front of the building lay two badly burned bodies. Looking down at the picture she saw a young man and woman smiling and holding a young child in between them. In the background lay an intact and beautiful little flower shop. Looking back at the scene, she saw Cobalt staring at the charred corpses of what used to be the couple lying at his feet. 

Smoke flew through the air spreading embers everywhere. Coughing, Ruby backed away but Cobalt just stood there frozen. He bent down and retrieved the necklace that the woman wore and tucked it into his jacket. Rising again she saw him clench his fists. Suddenly she heard battle cries to the street on the left. Turning her head she saw about forty rioters charging towards them. 

The sun set beneath the horizon ushering the landscape into shadow. Ruby felt her heart drop. Cobalt turned and walked towards them. Getting about fifty feet in front of Ruby he stood awaiting the charge. He stood determined but something was off. He looked confident and shattered at the same time. He pulled out his staff and turned it into sniper rifle mode. Aiming for a short second he fired and pumped his rifle so fast that it almost looked like a continuous stream of energy. By the time that his rifle clicked empty the crowd had been cut in half with those unlucky enough to be in the front now lying on the ground twitching. He returned his staff to its normal formation and sent a surge of energy through his gloves to energize the entire staff. The crowd met him and he took no time bringing the first one down with a direct hit to the head. He swung his staff around as he spread through the crowd taking down each person one by one. A strike to the gut, a bash to the chest, an uppercut to the chin. People and electricity went flying as every strike was harder than the last. Through the blue haze, Ruby could see it his eyes even from this distance. He was the manifestation of rage. He was consumed by pure, unbridled fury. 

As the last rioter lay unconscious he turned to see one that he missed running away. He began to chase after them and Ruby became even more worried. Every strike he had dealt only seemed to increase his anger. He had been using nonlethal tactics but she was not confident that he would continue to do so. Using her semblance she caught up with him just as he swept the runner off their feet. He stood above the man with one foot on their knee and weapon in the air. She saw him bring his staff back as if it was a spear and sent another jolt of energy through it thus energizing it. She could swear she saw fire burning in his eyes. With a bloodcurdling yell he brought the staff down. 

Silence followed. Ruby opened her eyes and saw the end of the staff just inches from the poor rioter lying on the ground. Her arms were wrapped around Cobalt’s right arm which held the staff as she held him back. He tried to jerk the staff down a few times to no avail. Snapping his head to face her, his gaze almost made her let go. What she saw was not Cobalt. It was some demon of rage possessing him. He growled “Ruby. Let. Go. Now.”

Ruby was frightened out of her mind but she knew that she would not let him be victorious. If he thought she was just going to sit down and let him win then he was sadly mistaken. “Cobalt this is enough! This man is unarmed and has clearly lost! You can't kill him!”

“Like hell I will! It is because of him that the child has lost his parents and everything precious to him! This man deserves to die!”

“Cobalt this isn't you! Please stop! You're hurting him!”

“That's the point!” He said with a menacing grin. He applied more weight onto his foot above the man's knee. A sickening crack erupted and the rioter on the ground screamed. Ruby did not want to do this but she had no choice. She pulled out Crescent Rose and extended it into scythe form. She then put the blade up against Cobalt’s throat and with as much sternness as she could muster she said “Get off of him.”

He looked back towards her the feeling of betrayal was evident across his face. “Ruby?” He said in a barely audible whisper.

“GET OFF OF HIM!” 

Cobalt dropped his staff and lifted his foot off of the man who ran away limping and screaming. He looked down at the scythe blade pressed against his neck and returned his gaze to her. “Do it.” He said.

“Do what?”

“Kill me.”

Letting out a gasp Ruby yelled “I'm not going to kill you! I was just trying to stop you from making a mistake! You were just letting an inner monster rule you!”

“You're trained day in and day out to kill monsters. I see no difference.”

“Cobalt this isn't you! Please wake up from this nightmare of yours!”

“Ruby you are trained to fight against all forms of evil. So complete your duties and end this.”

“Cobalt you are not evil!”

“My past actions say otherwise.”

“Who cares about your past! What's done is done but you need to keep moving forward. Your past does not determine who you are. You're right I may be innocent but don't mistake my innocence for ignorance. Your past does not define who you are unless you let it!”

“Ruby you're wasting your time-”

“NO! I am not wasting my time with you! Listen to me Cobalt. I don't care what you've done because that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you've done bad things because you're still a person. I started helping you because I know that people can change. I tried to help you and show you what it's like to be human again and not be afraid of the pain. In doing so I discovered a person who was funny, smart and compassionate who just needed some love and kindness in their life. You needed a person to come in and show you that this world really is worth living in. But if you say that all of this was for nothing then I never knew you in the first place!” 

Ruby felt herself slump to her knees as cold teardrops fell across her face. She dropped Crescent Rose and heard it hit the ground with a clang. She closed her eyes waiting for him to say something, anything. To her surprise she felt arms gently wrap around her shoulders. Opening her eyes through the blurry tears she saw Cobalt’s face which was devoid of any anger. He spoke in a soft voice that was cracking periodically “Ruby I'm sorry-y. I know I've said that so many times now that it-it seems worthless but it's true-ue. I'm so sorry that I hu-hurt you. But I don't think I've said-aid this enough yet: thank you. You're always there to he-help me when I need it. Yet all I've done is be a bother. I'm just us-useless weight tying you down.”

Returning the embrace Ruby said “Cobalt that isn't true. You can't think of yourself that way. You need to remember that there are people who care about you. I care about you. More than you might think. When you're in pain, I'm in pain. When you're happy, I'm happy. I like you Cobalt. I like, like you.” Ruby in the heat of the moment cupped Cobalt’s face and leaned in to kiss him. Time seemed to freeze as Ruby felt her lips come into contact with his. After what could have been just a second but felt like an eternity he returned the kiss. The kiss was not fiery and passionate. It was more delicate and precise but still held their emotions true. Ruby after breaking the kiss hugged him tighter and rested her head on his shoulder. She said “See. There are people who care for you and your well being. I care for you and if you ever feel like you're not worth anything or you're not yourself you come find me okay? If you need help I'm here to help you through it.”

Sentences breaking she heard him say “Will do-o. I will make sure to remember that. Thank you fo-for believing in me, for seeing me as something mo-more than a monster. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what everybody? School is out so that means I'll be able to write a lot more so I'm changing the updating schedule. Starting this Wednesday I will be uploading twice a week: once on Wednesday and once on Saturday. I will give alerts if this changes.


	17. An Awkward Chat

Cobalt walked into his room feeling drained physically and mentally. It was way too late for him, let alone anyone else to be awake. Ruby had said that she would inform the grandfather tomorrow and hand him the necklace of his daughter-in-law. Of course because of the time that really meant later that morning. Cobalt was much too tired to argue and even if he was not, then the memory of their kiss playing over and over again in his mind prevented him from thinking logically. Throwing his stuff down on the floor and slipping into his pajamas, he sat on his bed and checked his personal scroll. He had two missed calls from organizers of his syndicate as well as one from Junior and Cinder. He was not looking forward to making up that last one. Finally annoyed enough, he called out into the darkness of his room and said “Neo if you're going to stand there at least let me see you.” A small shadow came into view in his peripheral vision as Neo stepped forward. 

_[So how was your day Mr. Smoochums?]_

Cobalt glared at her earning one of her classic smirks. “Neo it no longer surprises me that you spy on me but can you at least inform me as to why?”

_[You think I want to be following your ass all day long? Please I've got better to do. It's Cinder’s orders for me to keep watch on you all the time. You know she doesn't quite trust you right?]_

“Well then the feelings are mutual. Anyway I'm feeling kinda down today so could you just go and let me sleep?”

_[What’s gotcha down?]_

“Do you remember the rule I put in place when we were younger? The thing I always said never to do.”

_[Never eat anything that has green stuff growing on it?]_

“Not that, the other one.” Cobalt walked towards the window and opened up the blinds thus ushering his face in moonlight. “To never stick around to see the consequences of your actions.” After a short pause he said “I did not follow that today.”

She joined him by the window and typed _[What happened?]_

“The reason I was all over Vale today. It was to find someone who turned out to be dead. Because of my actions a child has lost their parents and so many others have died. All because of me.”

_[Roman, remember that to achieve this new world we are trying to create there will have to be sacrifices. Those are just unlucky individuals who are taking the hit. You shouldn't be mad at yourself.]_

“Yes but where is the turnoff point? Where is the limit to which we say enough is enough?” After a brief pause he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Look at me discussing this like I'm some philosopher. Reminds me of old times, huh? Speaking of which do you remember the time when your brother Junior tried to hook up you and Perry?”

Looking back at her he saw a face of annoyance. _[Why must you remember everything I try to forget? And Junior and I aren't siblings.]_

“Wait you're not? Perry told me that-”

_[That was Perry. When should you ever trust him with stuff like that?]_

“I don't know I just thought he was right.”

_[Roman I swear to you that Junior and I aren't siblings.]_

“Then I acted like a complete idiot. Sorry about that. My cover story needs some updating then.”

_[What?]_

“Nothing. Anyway how is Perry doing? I haven't spoken to him since we worked together before the train incident.”

_[He’s doing fine.]_

Something about her pose did not seem right to him. She seemed calm and composed but almost too much. He left a mental note to press deeper at another time. Right now all he could think about was how tired he was. He had a few things to check over with her and then he would go to sleep. With a yawn he asked “Did you get that painting to the buyer?”

Neo rolled her eyes and typed _[You mean to ask if I did your job for you? If so then the answer is yes. You're lucky my umbrella is fire proof or else it wouldn't have protected the painting wrapped around it.]_

“Excellent. I believe the trial run with my remote dust detonator succeeded. It's a shame it had such a small range and I had to drop it. I could always build more but that would take time and energy.” He groaned.

She pinched the bridge of her nose before she typed _[You are the laziest person I know.]_

“Yes but it's the lazy ones who find creative solutions to troublesome tasks. Did I ever tell you what I did most of the day for my planning?”

_[No. Usually when I try to ask you what you're doing when you're planning you respond with either ‘maniacally scheming’ or ‘dastardly plotting’.]_

“I had decided to go visit the wonderful and prestigious Vale art museum with my pockets full of dust and holes in the bottom of said pockets. I think you can put two and two together from that.”

She sighed and shook her head. _[Why is it that every time one of your plans is a success you have to retell it as if it was some war story?]_

“Come on now my stories are great. Aren't they?”

_[I’d rather patch paint dry.]_

“Tough crowd. So my stories are a bit subpar I'm tired and if you haven't noticed it's one in the morning. I'd like to get some sleep if you don't mind.”

_[Sorry to interrupt your precious beauty sleep ‘o majestic one’. Just make sure you call Cinder back.]_

“Do I have a choice? If I don't she'll kill me and I don't mean that she would be ticked. She'd actually kill me.”

_[I know. This war already has enough dead heroes. I don't want you joining them.]_

“Trust me I'll get back to her and I'll update you on the situation when I do. But all of this can wait for tomorrow. It'll all be better tomorrow.”

_[You've been saying that to yourself for years. Sometimes you just need to admit that bad things happen to the best of us.]_

“You're excused from your duty. You don't need to watch over me anymore tonight. I bid you goodnight.” Cobalt said with a little edge in his voice. He turned away to aim his gaze at the moon and it's shattered remnants. He stared at it long after he heard the door click behind him. “Even if it's a lie it's all that keeps me going.” He muttered to himself.

* * *

Cobalt’s eyes opened with a start as he sat up in bed. Light was shining in through the window and he was covered in cold sweat. He did not remember having a nightmare and based off of his clammy forehead he did not want to. Checking the time he let out an exasperated groan. The clock read 12:30 pm which meant he had overslept. Remembering the messages sent to his school scroll, he was allowed to stay in his room and as long as he did not leave it he did not have to help recovery stations. With a granola bar for breakfast and/or lunch he decided he would wait things out a bit. Classes were cancelled today since the conditions outside were not favorable enough. Although he would not admit it to anyone, he was staying put to get away from Ruby. Their relationship was debatable and not something he was eager to discuss. He had no idea what to do next time he saw her so he would procrastinate that moment as long as he could. “Maybe a shower will help me think.” He thought to himself.

Two hours later after using every hygiene product imaginable, Cobalt left his dorm room’s private restroom perfectly pampered and refreshed. He still could not think of a way to talk to Ruby about their relationship. These feelings were very new to him. Of course he had experienced the family type of love with Neo, Junior and Perry but this romance thing was foreign. In the past he had always been able to get over any feelings of attraction as soon as they started. After all having a love interest is a weakness for a high stakes criminal. But this time he could not stop it from growing. He was being idiotic and he knew it. If he allowed this to continue he was creating a weakness for a criminal of his caliber. If he ended it then he would just be following old bad habits and could miss out something special. He had gone through enough crap in his life that he deserved to be happy. 

Then there was the fact that the entire thing was practically a lie. He was not Cobalt Cyan. The man did not exist. He was Roman Torchwick: the enemy of the world. It is not just like he told her one lie and that was it. His web was constantly growing and getting more and more complicated. If things continued as they are then only destruction can come from it. Massaging his forehead he cursed himself for thinking too deeply on the matter. Desperate for something to get his mind off of the current topic, he scanned the room for something to do. Eyes landing on his desk with the stack of homework from the first week he groaned and said “It is truly a sad day when I see this as preferable.” Putting the nose to the grind he began working.

* * *

Ruby was not having the best day. With the memory of a broken sixty year old man crying etched into her mind the day did not have as good of a start as it could have. She wanted to have Cobalt there with her but he never came down to help. She thought that she should give him some space, at least for the morning. He had been having a rather rough first week at Beacon after all. 

She mentally slapped herself. How could she be so stupid as to kiss him? She could understand why he kissed her the night of the “Ruth” incident with his emotions and logic out of place but for her to make such a stupid mistake it was embarrassing. They have only known each other for just over a week now. An eventful week sure, but still only a week. How would the rest of her team react when they found out? No, they were not going to find out. She could keep this hidden. She hoped at least. She needed to have a private conversation with him where they could discuss some much needed topics. She could sense uneasiness from him and needed to break the ice. The entire walk home from the flower shop had been awkward and silent with both of them purposely ignoring what happened. When she was done with helping the med-bay as a nurse she would check his room to see if he was holed up there. If she left at five she should be able to have the talk and be back to her room with plenty of time before her teammates arrived.

When the clock struck five she finished wrapping a bandage on her last patient and then called it a day. Based on the testimony of those who came in today the riots were thinning out and getting less violent. By Thursday the authorities should be able to stomp out the rest of this resistance. Ruby made her way to Cobalt’s room to have that talk but with every step she became more reluctant. There was no doubt about it that it was going to be awkward. She was sure that he knew that too, but she doubted that anything more than just casual small talk would occur if they did not have this discussion. So with her mind fighting itself and butterflies in her stomach she kept going on. Just as she decided she would turn back, she saw that she was right in front of his door. With one last push, logic triumphed over anxiety and she knocked.

“Who is it?” She heard him say muffled by the door.

“Hey Cobalt it's me Ruby. I was wondering if we could talk for just a moment.”

After a short pause she heard him say “Well that's one moment right there. Now scurry along I'm sure you're a very busy person and I don't want to intrude on your time.”

“Cobalt! You know what I meant.”

“Actually I don't could you please clarify?”

“I just wanted to have a private conversation with you.”

“Well we're having one now see? We're the only ones talking.”

“We're talking through a wall.”

“While we're saying obvious things let the record note that I am in fact human and my hair is red.”

“Stop stalling and just open the door.”

“Stalling… I'm stalling.”

“Yes you are. Now stop.”

“So you… think… that I'm… stalling?”

“Just open the door!”

“Fine. Fine. Why is everyone here so persistent?” He said as she heard a chair move and him walk towards the door.

The door opening she saw his annoyed face staring down at her. “Come on in.” He said gesturing for her to come inside. Walking inside she sat down on one of the beds hoping that it was not his. Closing the door, he walked back to his desk and began writing something. Curious, Ruby asked him “What are you doing?”

“The devil’s work. The bane of fun and relaxation. The condemner of students and the pillars upon which kiss-asses stand. Homework. Ugh.” He finished with a shudder.

“Wait is that what you've been doing all day? How much did you have?”

“About a week's worth.”

“So you didn't do any of your schoolwork the past week?!” 

“Yes and trust me I'm not letting that happen again. I swear that this could be defined as cruel and unusual punishment. Isn't there a law against that here?”

“There's something along those lines.” Ruby said while lying down on the bed she was on. “So listen about-”

She was interrupted by what sounded like a little girl screaming. Sitting up she saw Cobalt jump back while still in his seat, only for his feet to be thrown up into the air. “What happened? Is everything alright?!” She exclaimed.

“There was a spi-spi-spider!” He said pointing at his desk. Ruby could not help but laugh. She laughed for a solid minute while he scoured his desk searching for the small arachnid. Finally killing it by slamming his bag down on it, he turned to her and with a red face of embarrassment he said “This isn't funny!”

“Yes it is!” Ruby could barely say between laughing fits.

“Just don't tell anyone alright! You didn't see or hear anything!” He said as he walked over to a bed two beds over and against the wall. He plopped down with his face landing on his pillow. 

Finally calming down she turned to face him. “Sorry. I'm so sorry.” She said wiping a tear away. 

Turning his head to face hers, she saw the very evident embarrassment written all over his face. He shuffled uncomfortably and said “No you're not. You said that you wanted to talk? I know it wasn't spider related.”

Ruby now eased by Cobalt’s embarrassment felt silly about her anxiety for this conversation. She knew that this confidence would not last so she wanted to utilize it as fast as she could. Laying back down she said “We need to talk about our relationship.”

The atmosphere suddenly dropped its comical tone to that of heavy concern. Before she could go on she heard him ask “What about it?” with a serious tone prevalent.

Words began clumping up in her throat and she was finding it hard to breathe. What she was able to get out was more stutters than complete sentences. “It's just… What is there between us? Is this normal or not? Is this dating? Or is this all just in my head? Both of the times that we've… kissed… has been when we're upset in some way. I don't know if this is just freak accidents or if I'm reading signs wrong. I-I-I’m just so confused.”

“Ruby.” He interrupted ushering the room into silence. Still lying on his stomach he said “I'll be honest with you that I've been thinking along the same lines as you have. I don't know whether or not any of this is inside my head or not. I have never been in a relationship before so it's not like I have experience or anything. I've just been stumbling along trying to come up with everything on the spot. Then of course the occasional breakdown does not help simplify things.”

Ruby began to feel her heart beat faster and faster until she asked the one question that came to her mind. “So does all of that mean you like me?” She asked looking directly into his eyes.

They stared at each other being complete and total opposites. Yet as much as they were different they had formed a pair. They were like two sides of a coin, separated and joined together by bloody history. Ruby had remembered hearing once that opposites attract which made his response all the more exciting.

“Yes, I believe it does. In the past I've always been able to squash these feelings before they became anything major. But this is different. I can't quite describe it.”

“I've never had feelings for anyone before either so I don't really know if this is what you would call them. I guess that when I think about you I get like a fluttering in my chest.”

“Then you start thinking about whoever your crush is more and more. You start going out of your way to see them.”

“You look forward to the times throughout the day when you can see them.”

“But it's not enough so you try to talk to them every second you have available.”

“Then whenever they're upset or down you always try to make them feel better-”

“Because you feel their emotions too.”

The room went quiet but Ruby was internally bursting with excitement. She finally got her answer and it was yes; Cobalt actually liked her. Ruby could not remain sitting there for any longer. She got to her feet and jumped off of the bed she was on, over the spare one, and landed on top of him with her stomach coming into contact with his lower back. With a loud “ooff” she landed on top of him accidentally knocking the air out of her lungs. 

While waiting for the world to stop spinning she could hear him exclaim “Good Lord! Were you trying to kill yourself?!” while moving her around. She still could not respond with her lungs absorbing as much air as possible. When she could breathe and see straight again she saw that he was laying on his side with her right next to him. The fact that he had an arm around her sent a rush of excitement through her. 

“You gave me quite the scare there. Could you not do that again please? You make me worry so much sometimes.” He mumbled

A giggling Ruby hugged him and said “I couldn't help myself. You looked so huggable.”

With a face of annoyance he said “Fine, but that does that mean you have to do that? You couldn't have just walked over and sat down?”

“But where's the fun in that?”

“The fun is in the fact that you're breathing.”

“Sorry. I just got really excited that you felt the same way about me as I do for you.” She laid her head down by his shoulder and asked the next thing that came to mind. “So does this mean that we're dating?”

“Not necessarily. If you want to count the favorable portion of last Friday evening as a date then yes. Otherwise there hasn't been the traditional guy-asks-girl thing so some may say no.”

“So what's your view on it?”

“Me? You should know by now that I'm not one to follow the same path as my predecessors. I say screw tradition and we should live life as we want to. I'm not going to burdened down by others opinions. If you say yes then I'm all for that night counting and for many more to come.”

“Yeah. I'd like that.” She said snuggling into him even more.

A smile spread across her face when he finally relaxed and returned her embrace. He took a minute to compose himself and clear his throat before he said “Well there you go: we're officially in a relationship. Now I'm going to ask what's probably on your mind too. Should we keep this secret? I'm sure that your sister as well as your team are _lovely_ people but truth is they can be a bit unnerving.”

Ruby sighed and looked up at him. “I was wondering the same thing. As much as I want to tell Yang everything it's probably for the best that she doesn't know. At least until my team starts liking you more. So you need to work on that.”

He turned his head to look back at her. “How should I do that?”

“I don't know. Just try to be more friendly and open. Also try being less intimidating. Just promise me you'll try okay?”

“I promise. I'll work on that when I can.”

“Thanks.” After a few moments of silence Ruby needed to get a question off of her chest. “Hey I don't want to bring up a bad topic but I do need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Well it goes back to yesterday. I had asked you if you had any relation with Torchwick and we were interrupted.”

“Ah, yes, that. The fire must've spread to the fertilizer. That stuff is extremely flammable you know. Well back to me and Torchwick. Let's just say that we know each other very well. If you haven't noticed we look awfully alike too. Back in my troublesome youth we used to be partners. We were like brothers and according to the rest of the world we were. We had a falling out that ended with a really bad fight. Tempers flared, weapons were drawn and I was left to die in a pool of my own blood. I haven't seen him in years though.”

That did not ease her mind as much as she wanted it to but it was better than the feeling of the unknown. “Okay. It's just that when he talked to me he sounded like he wanted to kill you. I got worried.”

With a laugh he said “Yeah that's to be expected. He sure can hold grudges.”

“What did you two fight about? Or maybe you can help us track him down?”

“The answer to your first question will be answered another time. Story time is over. Your second question is a no.” 

“Whyyyyyyy?” 

“I can guarantee you that if I join you on any of your searches you won't find him.”

“That's not true. You can help us. Really I'm sure you can.”

“Nope.”

“C’mon? Please?” Said Ruby as she began her puppy eyes technique. 

“I've told you before that won't work on me… Ruby that is really annoying I would appreciate it if you stopped… You're not going to stop are you?”

“Nope.” 

“Alright then I will give you to the count of three. One… Two… Three… Very well your resistance will be punished appropriately. Prepare to be tickled.”

“Wait what? No. No-no-no-no-no. Cobalt stop it!” She laughed as a massive tickle fight erupted. Cobalt was winning with a good lead until Ruby discovered his neck was his only ticklish spot. As the tide turned in her favor she began gaining bed space and was able to push him to the edge. Just as he fell over and she was about to declare victory he grabbed her hand on the way down. Next thing she knew she was falling onto him. Landing right on top of him she was suddenly aware of how close their faces were to each other. They stared into one another's eyes, both waiting to see how the other would react. It was Cobalt who moved first. Crossing the small distance between them he brought his head off the floor and kissed her. Ruby although a little surprised returned it wholeheartedly. Only the need to breathe prevented it from lasting longer with Ruby reluctantly breaking it. Resting her head on his chest she smiled and said “I'm really happy.”

“As am I Ruby. As am I.” He said gently stroking her hair.

After a few minutes passed Ruby spoke again and said “We're on the floor aren't we?”

“Fantastic observation Detective Ruby. With eyes like yours it's a wonder that there are still criminals out there.”

“We might want to get up then. It's not like this is the most comfortable spot.”

“It most certainly is not. But Ruby you seem to have neglected the fact that you are laying on top of me.”

“Right, sorry about that.” Getting up before she could say another word the song “I Burn” started blaring. Rapidly patting her pockets she pulled out her scroll and answered the call. “Hey Yang how's it going? Oh crap I'm sorry! I'll be right there!!” Quickly turning to Cobalt who was back on his feet and brushing himself off she covered the mic and said “Sorry about this but I have to go. I forgot I was going to meet up with Yang for dinner. We'll talk later okay?” With that she ran out the door ushering the room back into the silence that had filled it for most of the day. 

Cobalt closed the door behind her and thought about what had just happened. It made him smile. He felt like a giddy young schoolboy. He knew it would not last but for the time being he wanted to be happy. There was something about being around Ruby that he could not describe. Her personality was like a breath of fresh air compared to the doom and gloom he lived through for most of his life. She was always so happy and it was very contagious. It made him want to kiss her again. He still felt the burning sensation of her lips on his. Words could not describe how much he wanted that to continue.

He ran his hand through his hair to calm himself down, only to be reminded that it was short now. It was a physical reminder that he was just playing a part. Even if it was just a part, he felt like this Cobalt was an actual part of him. He felt like he was not lying to her before when he said that Roman and him had a fight. It was almost as if they were two separate souls within the same body. He felt as if this Cobalt was more than just a ruse. It was as if Cobalt was that part of him that he thought he killed off years ago. 

He shook his head and returned to his desk. He needed to do something to get his mind off those thoughts. He still had some rigorous homework left and a grueling call to Cinder he had to make up. But he knew he would do it with a smile on his face. Nothing, no matter how aggravating or strenuous, could put a damper on this day.


	18. Their Little Secret

“‘The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Because when you give your time you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.’ Now class I want you to have a five page essay about how this quote relates to you on my desk tomorrow at the start of class. Class dismissed.” The professor finished before the class let out a unanimous groan. Cobalt was not looking forward to spending the evening doing said assignment but as he had found out the hard way from his homework overload Monday night, he had no choice in the matter. He left a mental reminder to find some way to get back at said professor. _“I mean why do we need to have a literature class? We're training to become killing machines not librarians. I swear someday I'm going to beat Mr…um…crap I forgot his name again. Well that's sure a sign as how good he is. I wonder if Ruby is doing any better.”_ Turning around the corner he was met with Ruby’s smile which already made his day feel better.

“Hey Cobalt! How was your Lit. Comp. class?” 

After spending a good amount of time with Ruby, Roman found himself smiling a lot more than he ever used too. He let one creep onto his face when he said “Realize what you just said and you should be able to answer that question yourself.”

“That bad huh?”

“Ding ding ding. We have a winner. So how has the life of Ruby Rose been lately?”

“Well team RWBY is reunified so that's pretty cool. Yang won't stop telling stories about all butts she kicked fighting against the riots. Blake is about as dark and gloomy as she always is. Weiss apparently had a bad fight with her dad while getting help. She's been switching back and forth between being really mean to being really depressed.” He could hear her excitement slowly fade as she went on.

“Just because she's down doesn't mean you should be too. Come here.” He said as he pulled her closer for a hug. 

A giggling Ruby said “Stop it! I thought we agreed on no hugs in public?”

“I know but you looked down and I can't bear the thought of that. I want to see you happy but I can't speak to you during mealtimes anymore and I get so little time in the halls.”

“Alright but let's try to stick to the guidelines we set up. Speaking of which, I need to go. I'll see you later.” She said reluctantly as she was forced to pull away.

“Till we meet again.” He felt his fingertips graze hers for a few seconds before she turned back to look at him again.

“The usual spot?”

“I'll be waiting.” 

Her urgent running made him smile as he watched her leave. So far their plan had been working. They spent the rest of their time working with the disaster relief station outlining just how would they hide their relationship. After two days of planning they had everything covered. When they would see each other in the halls, when could they actually talk to each other, and when they could meet up among other things of importance. 

There were a few things he did not like though. He could not sit at her table or talk with her during mealtimes. Whenever she was with her team he would have to ignore her completely. Ruby had created a story that she would tell her team about how they had a fight and that she was purposely ignoring him. She must have done a good job telling it because whenever he saw any of her friends alone they always gave him dirty looks. So much for befriending them. There were some points he liked though. With an actual list of excuses prepared, Ruby should be able to spend the hour right after the end of classes with him for the foreseeable future. Another is that they had Ren and Nora on their side.

Cobalt walked into his next class and almost immediately started drowning out his professor, instead having the events of their “discovery” playing over in his head. About noon on Wednesday he was taking a break under the tree that he had fallen asleep next to Ruby with a few days previous. Ruby came over to join him and they had a nice conversation but little did they know at the time that someone was watching.

_Cobalt was about to close his eyes to try to take a nap when he heard a sound beside him. Looking over he saw Ruby with that classic smile of hers sitting down next to him. “So I take it they were being a little noisy?” She asked._

_“Dear lord that is an understatement! How can so much noise come from such a small organism?!”_

_“Oh come on. I'm sure you made those toddlers’ day with helping them with their finger painting.”_

_“Sure but do you have any idea how many of them tried to eat the paint? All of them! Every last one of them!”_

_“Nobody ever said that monitoring them would be easy.”_

_“I know but it just gets tiring.” He felt something touch his side to find that Ruby was laying her head against his shoulder. Smiling, he brought his arm around her and began stroking her hair. “You know I never asked you this. Why did you come here?”_

_“Well I always wanted to be a huntress-”_

_“No no no. I don't mean why you are attending Beacon. I mean why are you here helping these people? You're the badass leader of team RWBY with an oversized and overly sharp gardening tool that's also a gun. I thought you would be leading the push against the riots with Blake and Yang.”_

_After taking a moment to think about it she said “I guess it's because I want to help people. When I was a little girl Yang would read to me stories of heroes and monsters every night before bed. I idolized them and I wanted to be just like them. Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who could not protect themselves.”_

_“Well wouldn't that mean you would want to be in the field? Taking the fight to them and protecting those behind you?”_

_“If I was fighting with the rest of them then I would only be doing that: fighting. I would just be fighting people and leaving others to take care of those afflicted. But that only helps in the short term. Just how much am I, a first year student huntress in training, am going to be able to do to speed things up? But if you slow down and help those already impacted you can do so much more. Most of these people have lost everything: their homes, their possessions, their families and friends. They are in a state of despair. But all it takes is one kindhearted deed to change that, to light a spark of hope that things will end all right. That's why I stayed behind.”_

_Cobalt took a minute to digest what she said. He knew she was idealistic but he never knew this much. “That's very endearing. To inspire hope of a happily ever after. While your ideas are motivational do keep in mind that the real world is not a fairy tale. Not everyone gets their happy ending.”_

_“I know but… That doesn't mean someone shouldn't try for it. Besides, who better for the job of helping than a hunter? That's why we're here. To make things better.”_

_“Well you've certainly made my life a lot better since I've met you. Thank you for that. For giving me a chance.” He said giving her a small squeeze._

_“Well everyone deserves a happy ending. Besides you've made me a lot happier too.”_

_After looking down at her face rested against his shoulder he said “Have I ever mentioned how beautiful you are?”_

_“Yes but you could stand to do it a little more often.” She said with a flirtatious smile._

_“Really now? Well the same goes to you.”_

_“Fine. The sun makes your face sparkle.”_

_“Oh so it's only when I'm in the sun now is it?”_

_“No I didn't mean it like that-”_

_“So I must coat myself with glitter every morning. Got it.”_

_“Please don't I-”_

_“Must I get every color too? I would look like a disco ball and-” He was interrupted by her leaning up and making contact with his lips. While surprised by her reaction he was not going to miss this. They continued the kiss for about a minute before Ruby pulled away and said “Sometimes you just need to know when to stop talking.”_

_“Note taken. I will write that-” This time he was interrupted by a ginormous squeal that seemed to come from every direction. Looking around he searched for the source of the noise. Eyes eventually landing on Ruby’s face he saw her go pale looking up at the tree. Looking up he could see why. Suspended upside down above them was Nora who simply waved her hand and said calmly as if nothing happened “Hello!”_

“COBALT!!” Snapping his attention back into reality from his little flashback he stared into the angry face of his mathematics professor. “I asked you what the answer to the equation was. You were listening weren't you?”

“Of course sir. The answer is three.” He guessed giving his best face of confidence.

“Actually the answer is plus or minus three because you had to square root both sides of the equation. A common mistake. I guess you were listening then. Well carry on.”

As his professor walked back towards the front of the class Cobalt breathed a sigh of relief. That was way too close. He'd have time to think things over later. Right now he needed to pay attention.

* * *

“So what's the excuse this time?” Cobalt asked to his companion tucked right up next to him. They were lying down in the soft grass with a calm breeze flowing past them. Looking up he could see the shining and twinkling of stars through the leaves. They had found an old tree with branches that touched the ground in a secluded area of the school grounds. It left a little pocket of space that was a lot bigger on the inside that it looked from the outsides do it was far enough away that they would not be overheard. Weather permitting they planned on meeting up there. Should Mother Nature decide to make conditions unfavorable the runner up was his own room. It was his idea for someplace else as their main meeting place. Ruby was probably too innocent to understand how it would look if she spent a lot of time alone with him in his room.

“I'm studying over in the library with Nora.”

“Do you think they believed it? What if one of them walks in and they don't see you there?”

“One of them walk into a library on a Friday night? I doubt it. Yang’s probably heading off for some club and making Weiss and Blake give reviews on each and every single one of her outfits.”

“I truly pity them. I can't imagine a worse form of torture.”

“You aren't the one who grew up with her.”

“A blessing that I am thankful for with every passing day.”

With a laugh she said “It wasn't that bad. She's really sweet, loving and funny.”

“More like punny. Eh eh?”

“Don't do this now.”

“Oh come now it's pun for the whole family.”

“I get enough of this already I don't need more.”

“One can never have too much pun in one day.”

“Cobalt… No.”

“You're no pun.”

“Cobalt…”

“Fine. I'll just take my puns somewhere else.” 

“Preferably somewhere far away.” 

Cobalt breathed a sigh of relief. He was thankful for the week to be over and to be lying there with her by his side. His curiosity got the better of him and it was not long before he asked “On a different note why do you think Ren and Nora are helping us with this? It's not like I made a good first impression with them.”

“Ren is always one for saying some weird words of wisdom. He's probably thinking along the lines of ‘you shouldn't judge a book by its cover’.” 

“Well then what did I do to change his mind? When he agreed to help us after Nora told him everything I wasn't going to question his theology. I didn't want to say anything that would be potentially sabotaging.”

“I think he saw you running the makeshift daycare center. As much as you were complaining, you volunteered for that job and kept working even after others quit. That shows a lot of character.”

“Well they're children so they deserve to act like children. Even if it is so goddamn annoying.”

“Yeah they can be troublesome at times.” Said Ruby laughing.

They laid there enjoying each other's company for a while until Ruby asked “I'm just curious. How's your team doing? You haven't mentioned them recently.”

“Well I'm sure they're alright. Even at the most bleak of times they always make it through.” A loud noise interrupted them that sounded like the drummer of a rock band doing improv. “Well speak of the devil there's one now. I'm sure that whatever it is it can wait.”

“You're sure?”

“Yeah, just let me silence it.” He said as he made sure that his scroll was silenced. “Besides, I don't want to interrupt this.” Cobalt said while pulling her in closer and kissing her head. 

A blushing and giggling Ruby said “Oh stop it.”

“You're blushing.” He said with a chuckle of his own.

“Am not!” She said with her face turning redder.

“You're so cute when you're flustered.”

“M-m-meanie.”

“You're not helping your case here.”

“Just stop alright?”

“As you wish.” She brought her head back up to look at the scattered stars through the few cracks in the leaves. He could not help but admire her though. Her silver eyes reflected the starlight in a way he could not describe. He could try to use words such as glistening, magical or aesthetic but none quite did the trick. There were just some things that could not be described with words and this was one of the first. He saw her yawn and her eyes begin to start drooping. As adorable as she was while dozing, she had her own bed that he would prefer her sleeping in. About to shake her to wake her, something else took that job. His scroll began going off to the same drummer solo.

Eyes jolting open she gasped and said “Ahhh! Sorry! That just scared me that's all. I thought you said you silenced it.”

“I did. Excuse me for a moment.” He growled while getting up from his spot and walking over to the other end of the seclusion. Pulling out his personal scroll he made sure to whisper his entry passcode and answered. “Hey man it's been long time no see huh? You know that this number is for emergencies right? This better be good. I was in the middle of something.”

_“I know this is the emergency number that's why I called it! And long time no see?! Really?! Well hell yeah long time no see I've been trying to get a hold of you for over a fucking week now!”_

Holding the scroll away from his ear he called into it and said “I'm going to need you to calm down. I'm with some company right now and they can hear you when you're that loud.”

_“Fuck yeah they can hear me because I'm pissed off! I told you the last time we were together in person to answer any and all calls I give to you! You know I only do so when it's fucking important!”_

“I get it. You’re ticked Raphael. I'm here now and willing to listen.”

The voice dropped half its volume so that it was quiet enough to be talking normally. _“Raphael? Oh right you said you had company. So I'm being called Raphael. I actually like that name. Good choice.”_

Cobalt brought the scroll back to his ear and asked “Where went that unholy demon screaming in my ear just a minute ago?”

_“We need to talk. And not over the phone. Whenever you have time tomorrow come by my place. Trust me when I say it's important.”_

“Look I will alright. Just give me some time. And expect me to be late. Tell Cindy that you two are in my thoughts.”

 _“Who the hell is Cin-”_ He was cut off when Cobalt ended his call. Cobalt silently cursed under his breath. The last few times he heard Junior that serious was during large emergencies. Both of them being busy men working in the underground they know that direct communication should only be used in dire circumstances.

“Cobalt are you alright?” He heard Ruby ask behind him. 

As quickly as he could he put on a fake face. “Yes that was just good old Raphael needing to have a chat.”

“He seemed pretty ticked. Is something wrong?”

“Oh trust me I have the tendency to get him to act like that. It's normal. By the way how much did you hear?”

“Only the first part about him yelling at you. You haven't answered my question.”

“Which was?”

“You didn't deny that something was wrong.”

“Ah that. Everything is fine. I just need to run a favor for him that's all. He was just angry because I've been forgetting to call him back.”

He watched Ruby close the distance between them and squint her eyes at him. “You're not telling the truth. Or at least all of it.”

“You're saying that I'm lying?”

“No. But I can see it in your eyes that you're not telling all of the truth.”

“You keep bringing up this reading my eyes thing. I don't get it. My eyes do not have letters on them. They're not a light romance novel that you can read on any mild day of summer. My eyes are just a tool used to perceive the world around me, nothing more.”

“That too. Whenever you don't have an argument to back you up you attack the support of your opponent. You'd be good at politics.”

“While I will take your compliment with gratitude I find the rest of that statement rude. I will tell you again. Everything will be fine and this isn't something that you should worry your pretty little head about.”

“You're still not telling me everything.” She said crossing her arms.

“You're not making this easy are you. Fine. I concede. You have bested me.” He said melodramatically. “He wanted to talk to me in a more private setting about something. I don't know what it is or why he wants it to be so private. Now will you get off my back about it?”

“That doesn't seem all that bad. Why did you have to hide that?”

“I didn't want you to concern yourself or be worried about me.”

“But that still seems so small. I feel like there is some underlying reason that even you're not willing to admit to yourself as to why you tried to hide this. Let me think.” She said as she began to pace herself. 

Cobalt just shook his head and sat down against the trunk of the tree watching Ruby try her best to solve this seemingly nonexistent puzzle. “You know this isn't a murder mystery. You can stop now. Can't we just get back to relaxing under the stars?”

“Nope.”

“Oh dear lord.” He said while face palming himself.

After a few minutes of pacing a smile crept over her face and Cobalt swore that he could see a light bulb light above her head. “I know what it is!”

“We'll go ahead and spit it out. I'm all ears.”

“You're scared of what he's going to say.”

Stuttering, Cobalt said “I am not! I'm not afraid of anything!” Realizing his fault in judgment he corrected himself. “Well other than spiders that is.”

“Cobalt that's another thing we're going to have to work on. Your ego. It's too big. You're not willing to admit to your own faults even though you know deep down that you have them.”

He could have kept this going back and forth for a while but he knew that it was not worth the trouble. He decided that he would let her win this round. Staring at her for a minute he sighed and then chuckled to himself. “While you've been rubbing off on me all this time I failed to notice that I'm rubbing off on you. Your silver eyes are beginning to get a silver tongue to match. Congratulations. I admit I'm… Well… I'm a bit concerned. He's not one who calls on me often. If he's wants to have such a conversation then something big has happened or is happening. Something very big and very bad. It's the fact that I have no idea what it is that is killing me. I can plan around something if I'm aware of the threat. But this time I'm practically walking in blind.”

He looked down as if to hide his brief confession of weakness. To his surprise he felt her arms wrap around him. Looking up he stared right into her eyes. Touching foreheads she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before saying “Just come to me the next time you're upset alright? I'm here to help you. You don't have to fight your battles alone. You don't have to hide anything from me. Anyways it's about time that I have to go. Any longer and my team will start questioning me. Goodnight Cobalt.”

“Goodnight Ruby.” He said before giving her a goodnight kiss. He watched her as she left but he could still feel her lingering presence. The remaining smell of roses did not help either. He felt a pain develop in his heart as he thought about her. About how their relationship was going to end horribly no matter what path he took. Her last statement played over and over again in his head. _“You don't have to hide anything from me.”_ Cobalt clenched his fists and held his eyes shut as he tried to stop any tear formation. He wished with every fiber of his being that this was true but the fact of the matter was that it was not. He had so much to hide. A lot more than she could ever know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I got a tad bit of bad news for you all. I have to go on hiatus. Now before you all groan and moan it's not going to be for long. I'm just going on vacation for a week. That's it. And on my list of vacation-y things there is not room for writing or editing of my story. So there will be no posts next week but they will start up again on Wednesday, June 15. I'll see you then.


	19. Don't Get Too Close

Roman was enjoying his small walk. Cane in hand, cigar at his lips, he was starting to feel like himself again; or at least as much of his old self as he could be. A small voice sounding like Ruby’s was scowling at him for the cigar he was puffing. The little bugger was persistent and Roman was still working on learning how to ignore it. Fortunately, the atmosphere was helping to calm his nerves. The peaceful serenity of the desolate location, the crystal clear night and the small breeze combined in a way most soothing.

He had been working himself up over what Junior so desperately wanted to talk about enough that he had trouble concentrating on anything. Look at what that got him: a searing pain in his back if he moved a certain way. Professor Glynda caught him distracted during skirmishes earlier that morning and paired him up with Pyrrha Nikos as a skirmish opponent. It did not fare so well for him to say the least. On a positive note, he spent a considerably longer time with Ruby today that he thought he would. Apparently Weiss, Blake and Yang left to go see a movie while leaving Ruby to finish her schoolwork that she was falling behind in.

Making it to the door of his destination he tucked down all of those warm and fuzzy feelings of his. Now was the time to be cold. Now was the time to be merciless. Now was the time to act like an ass.

Opening both doors simultaneously for dramatic effect he strolled in. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming and he loved it. He could see the other party goers whispering at his presence even though he could not hear what they said over the blaring music and heavy bass. Walking up to the bar he spoke to the bartender and said “I'd like a glass of Vacuoan whiskey. No ice and extra ginger.” He was met with a nod before being waved to follow. Taken behind all the rows of liquor he was led down a thin corridor until they reached a black door with a red handle. “That will be all. You may leave.” With Junior’s man having left Roman entered the room. As soon as the door was closed he was surprised at just how quiet it was inside. The blaring music was now nothing more than a low rumble. Turning to meet his acquaintance he smiled and said “Well did you miss me?”

Standing up from his leather chair Junior yelled “You told me you'd be here three hours ago! What happened?!”

“Oh come now Junior.” Roman said helping himself to a glass of whiskey from the array of drinks on the table. “You have to understand that life just has a way of interfering with things.”

“But three hours?”

“Alright so I might've overdone it a bit. Big whoop.”

“The big whoop is that this is a life or death situation! And why did you bring Neo?!”

“I didn't bring Neo.” He said before he watched her walk in front of him. “Oh. Well perhaps I did bring Neo.” He did not realize that she had been following him. He’d have to talk to her about that later.

With a heavy sigh Junior sat down again and took a large drink of his own glass of vodka. “Both of you sit down.”

Roman took the liberty of setting himself down on one of the two couches surrounding a central table with Junior at its head. He put his feet up on the table and assumed a position of fake seriousness. “So just what is it you so desperately called me here for?”

“Roman you're going to need to put up with me for a minute first. Now tell me what Cinder called you to do in your most recent conversation.”

“Just why should I do that? I've had a painful enough day as it is. I don't want that memory to resurface.”

_[He got his ass kicked in skirmishes today.]_

“Precisely, wait what? I did not!”

_[Correction: he got his ass kicked badly.]_

“Neo I don't need this from you now. As for you Junior let's just say that Cinder was pissed. Very pissed. I don't know why.”

_[Perhaps because you took so long to call her back?]_

“Neo I did not ask you to come here so if you could keep your comments to yourself, that would be lovely. Junior, she asked me to go to Atlas to steal some gadget of some sorts.”

“Damn it!”

“Junior are you alright?”

“I can't believe she would do that again!”

“Do what again?”

After taking a minute to calm down, Roman saw a vein pulsing on Junior’s forehead. It frightened him. He had seen Junior this angry before but only on rare occasions. “She's asking you to pick up where he left off.”

“Excuse me? Based off of what she described and the resources I'm obtaining it should be a simple job.”

“The reason that she is so upset is because she already sent a team in for this.”

The room suddenly became very quiet. Roman could only hear the bass of the music outside and his own heartbeat. “How exactly would you know this? She doesn't just say this to everyone. I know you’re an information broker but you told me yourself, you can’t crack their encryption codes.”

“BECAUSE IT INCLUDED PERRY GODDAMN IT!” Yelled Junior as clenched his glass hard enough that it broke in his hand. Roman could see the pain in his eyes while he shook.

“What?” Asked Roman while he felt his skin grow cold and his stomach drop.

“She sent another team before you. They got caught and were all killed. Perry’s dead.” He was barely able to say.

“Perry’s… Dead?” Roman suddenly remembered all of the times that the two of them had spent together. Perry may have joined their group last out of the four of them but he was like family. They had always been there for each other, stood up for one another. He was one of the only people to have gained his trust. Roman would have trusted him with his life. Now he was gone and Roman felt a part of himself go with him. A void opened up inside and the first thing to replace it was an animalistic rage. He felt his inner wolf rise to the surface. He stood up and while grinding his teeth, he growled “How long have you known?”

“Since I first called you. I told Neo to tell you but based off of your reaction yesterday, I concluded she hadn’t.”

“Neo? Is this true?” He saw her look down to avoid his gaze. She remained silent. “Answer me when I'm talking to you.” He said colder than intended.

 _[Maybe.]_ She typed while still looking away.

Roman broke. He slapped the scroll out of her hands. “Why?! Why would you hide this from me?! He was our friend, our family! Was he nothing to you?!”

“Roman!” Bellowed Junior. “This is exactly why I wanted to talk to you in person. You cast away your friends and family when we try to help. We are all upset. We are all mourning. We are going to try to help you get through this. You can't just cast everything and everyone who cares for you to the curb while you try to fight it yourself.”

“If you excuse me, was it not me who saved your life from your father who was so drunk that he tried to kill you with a bottle of ale? Wasn't I the one who gave you a home when nobody else would? Wasn't I the one who led us through the hard times, the times full of death, destruction and loss? I don't take orders from you. I don't take orders from anyone!”

“You take orders from Cinder.” Silence ensued. Roman stared at Junior with as much hate as he could muster. All logical thought had left him and he was running on pure emotional rage. Junior was there to help him and to be there for him but that's not what Roman saw. Roman saw a barrier preventing him from doing what he wanted to do. All Roman could think about was making Remnant a living hell but here was this person telling him no. Nothing annoys him more than someone telling him no. As quick as he could Roman brought his hand back and formed a fist to slug this “barrier” in the face.

Grabbing Roman's fist mid-punch Junior coated his skin with steel to lock in the hand. “You can't do this again.” He said coldly. “Roman you can't keep doing this. You think you're helping? You're just removing yourself from everyone else. Look at Neo there. She's a sobbing mess. And for what? So you can feel better about yourself? So you can feel like nothing can hurt you?”

“I do this for all of you! Don't you think I've realized I'm dangerous?! That I hurt those around me?! I do this to stop myself from hurting anyone else!” He yelled as he ripped his hand out of Junior’s grip. Ignoring the pain of his now very ripped glove and bloodied hand he looked down towards Neo. Junior was right. He had brought her to a sobbing mess. When their eyes met he saw fear. He was not the one fighting monsters. He was the monster. Roman looked down at his hands. How many people had he loved that he hurt with these hands? “I'm sorry.” He whispered to Neo.

He sprinted out of the room hearing them yelling for him but he never looked back. He just ran and ran until he could not anymore. When he stopped he looked around him and he saw that he was close to Beacon. He wondered if seeing Ruby would help. He slapped himself for thinking that he could go see her. First of all he was still wearing his own clothing not Cobalt’s. Second is that he had been through losses like this before. The first few days progressively get much worse. He had already hurt Neo, his partner and best friend. If he could hurt her then he could not trust himself avoid hurting Ruby as well. He knew what he had to do. Going back to his apartment, he quickly changed into Cobalt’s clothes, packed his bags and made his way towards the transport stations. He needed to get away from Ruby, to protect her from him. He would go on that mission of Cinder’s. He would steal the weapon for her and use a few others that he finds. He felt his heart begin to grow colder again and that voice of Ruby’s in the back of his head was gone. He promised himself to not hurt Ruby but that didn't mean he would spare anyone else.

Buying a quick ticket to Atlas he grabbed the last flight there for the night. He had a few hours to kill and he needed to start planning after all. This was not just going to be a theft. If they thought that the art museum was bad then they had no idea what would follow. The last thing he did before he fell asleep was that he sent Ruby a message explaining his disappearance. He knew that she would be ticked at him for making her worry but at least this was better than nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone on fanfiction.net brought up the question of how Roman looks like a grown man. This is my response which I find would likely answer some questions and be helpful to all readers.
> 
> I assume that they're bringing to light the difficulty of Roman hiding as a student. I won't deny the statement but I would like to bring this to light. It is canon according to RWBY that first year students are seventeen. Now the people staying at Beacon and every other academy are there for four years of schooling like most colleges. That means that Beacon naturally holds people ages seventeen to twenty-two (I gave a five year gap because people turn eighteen at different times). It also has been said in a RT live stream that Roman is in his twenties. I headcanon that Roman is in the 19-20-21 area. Personally, I think he looks pretty young for someone of his age, especially if they smoke.
> 
> People attend the vytal festival no matter if they're a first year or fourth. Besides I never said that Roman was coming to Beacon as a first year student. This means that he could be coming in as a fourth year Atlas student. I'm not saying he is, I just never express what year he is. I left out what year he was as to not drive Ruby away from him. After all the age difference is a complicated issue that has no real good answer. I will deal with it later on but right now it's best that Ruby doesn't know. 
> 
> But his appearance should not throw Ruby off. I know plenty of seventeen year olds that had I never known them, I would've mistaken them for college graduates. I also know a good amount of people who are the opposite:they're in their late twenties and I thought they were eighteen. So him looking older isn't a throw off.
> 
> Before I elaborated this idea of Roman being undercover into an actual story I did do my research. He should be able to fit in with his age, as well as removing the most iconic forms of facial recognition: his haircut, mascara and cigars.
> 
> In conclusion, I do not deny the statement that he looks like a grown man. But that does not exclude him from being able to fit in undercover as a student or engaging in a relationship with Ruby.
> 
> If anyone ever has any questions feel free to ask in a comment


	20. The Darkness Within

Ruby was resting on her bed unable to fall asleep. She tried and tried but her case of sudden insomnia was winning. Frustrated and tired she gave up and decided to get something to eat. Grabbing her scroll, which had a convenient side use as a debit card on school grounds, she made her way to the cafeteria to get her favorite brand of cookies. Walking in she remembered her first real conversation with Cobalt. It made her miss him. When earlier that evening he helped her with her homework, which he was surprisingly good at, he seemed off. She knew he was worried about this talk he would have with Raphael but did not mention it. No use reminding him of what he was nervous about already. She did make sure to mention that she was there for him if he was ever in trouble a few times. 

Ruby sat down at one of the tables to finish her cookies and check her scroll for news updates. Nothing much was going on. The biggest story they had was how the hunters and huntresses of the world were heading back to their own kingdoms tomorrow since the dust has settled with the riots. Scrolling through a few more stories, her scroll vibrated in her hand and scared her. She gasped and did so while eating a cookie only to result in a coughing fit. After the coughing fit she checked what it was. It was a message from Cobalt. Opening it as fast as it would allow she read his text and could feel her heart drop with each sentence.

_“Hello Ruby. I'm going to be gone for a few days but I don't want you to worry about me. No, I'm not going drinking if that's what you're wondering. Raphael… Well… Dropped some pretty upsetting news. My childhood friend since around the age of nine, Norman, succumbed to his injuries and died earlier this week. I'm pretty shaken up by it and by the time you get this message I'll already be on my way to Atlas. I need some time alone to compose myself. No this is not the end of us and I will be returning within the week. I know that this must worry you and I am so sorry that I'm telling you through text instead of in person. Trust me when I say that this is best for me. I know you're not going to happy reading this and I fully expect you to punch me when I get back but I just want to say one last thing: I'm sorry.”_

A tear landed on the screen. Ruby could not help herself. She knew something bad was going to happen. She knew that she was there for him. She had made it perfectly clear that she was there for him. Yet with all that she did he just… Left. She lowered her head in resignation. She was helping him sure but was it enough? Enough that he would understand that people are there to help him. “Don't cry Ruby.” She told herself. “Remember that you're a big girl. You drink milk.” Ruby debated about whether or not to respond. As much as she wanted to she knew that it was very unlikely that he would reply. She looked back at her midnight snack of cookies having lost her appetite. Trashing the remaining ones she slowly walked back to her room. 

She told herself over and over again that he would be alright, that he would come back with open arms and a smile on his face. That's what she really needed to see right now. One of his few rare genuine smiles. She could not help but feel deja vu as the moonlight shone through the windows at just the right angle. She half expected to look over her shoulder and see him following her, complaining about her cookie consumption. She made it back to her room and back into bed. Looking around the room she remembered to consider herself blessed that her team was together and safe. She was so fortunate to have such a wonderful and caring team. They were a family of sorts and she could not imagine what it would be like to lose one of them. She left a mental reminder to plan something fun for all of them to do in the coming days.

* * *

Ruby was feeling very sluggish. She did not get much sleep last night and the really heavy breakfast was not helping to energize her. She looked over down the table, happy to see the rest of her team and JNPR smiling on such a bright day. Just because she was down did not mean that they should be. 

“Hey Rubes what's wrong?” Ruby looked over to see Yang’s face of concern. She remembered what Cobalt said about her poker face. She must have been showing her tiredness.

“I'm just really tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.”

“Anything keeping you up?” 

“I just got worried about a friend of mine. They're going through a pretty heavy loss and are taking it really badly.” Ruby tried to hide just how upset she was but she could hear her voice give it away.

“Do you want to talk about it later?” Said Yang with her voice getting soft.

“Maybe.” Ruby suddenly felt herself get lifted off of her seat and suspended in the air while Yang was giving her one other bear hugs. “Let me go!” Ruby yelled thrashing around like she was a beetle on her back.

“Not until I see that frown turn upside down!” Said Yang now rocking Ruby back and forth while holding her in the air. 

“Yang! Let me go!” Said Ruby now banging her fists down on her sister’s arms. If it was not embarrassing enough, now the entire table has turned their attention to the squirming sisterly love scene. “This is embarrassing!”

“That's the point. What else would my job be?”

They were interrupted by a loud high pitched noise that seemed to come from every direction. Ruby felt herself being dropped as Yang joined the rest of the student body in covering her ears. After about five seconds the sound disappeared with every scroll flipping open of its own accord. Even the holographic televisions they usually keep off turned on. Every screen gave off the sound of static with black and white dots flashing everywhere. Simultaneously they all flipped to a single video stream. Ruby joined her team in a single gasp as to who was on the screen.

There he was, sitting in front of an orange background with his recognizable black jackolantern insignia spread across it. Torchwick sat on a simple stool with his legs crossed and both hands resting on his cane. His mischievous smile sent shivers down her spine. He began to speak with a smooth sounding voice that held vile behind it.

_“Hello people of the world! This is being broadcasted on all frequencies, all channels and all devices that are connected to the Cross Continental Transmit System. It's good to see you all again. I must say your performance in Vale earlier this week was exceptionally catastrophic. I had no idea that all of you cared so much for me. I'm flattered, really I am. I must also congratulate the government and hunters who joined together to fight the revolutionists. I mean what better way to deal with your people than to stomp out all hope of change when they try to speak their opinion. And you all blame me for it. While I would like to take credit, I must also give the government some as well. All I did was lift the veil held in front of the people's eyes. Speaking of which that is my next topic for today: what the governments of the kingdoms don't want you to know._

_Today's episode is on Atlas. You know with all of their scientific advancements they're bound to have not released some sensitive information. Fortunately that's what I'm here for. They claim to have built this large military of theirs to fight the hordes of Grimm and protect the people. Well can someone please explain to me why they have made a weapon that does not work against the Grimm? One that has no effect upon them? See, something that I discovered during what you all called ‘The Revelation of Torchwick’ is that communication is the key. It is with communication that you all stood together to stand strong. So why is it that Atlas wants to take that from you? Why have they made and mass produced weapons that do nothing but short out communication systems?_

_I know what you're thinking. ‘He's Roman Torchwick. He's just lying again to trick us.’ I promise you I'm not. Which is why with the press of this button-”_ He said holding up a small hand sized box with a red button on it. _“-their weapon will detonate and communications worldwide will be shut down for who knows how long. In fact, I'm really excited to find out. I wish you all the best of luck and hope to see you again soon. Goodbye.”_ He said pushing the button before the screens returned to the static. 

Ruby felt her blood run cold. He could not be serious could he? To be able to knock out communications worldwide? The idea was infeasible. She looked around to see the scared expressions on everyone's faces and could tell that they were thinking the same thing. “He can't actually do that can he?” Ruby asked to nobody in particular.

Ruby decided to test it. She took her scroll and called Cobalt. Even if he did not answer she would at least be able to tell if he had the capability to. After about a minute she heard the computer say “Sorry. Connection to Atlas is currently down for reasons unknown. Please try again later.” Ruby looked up at the start of the shouting. Apparently others were having the same idea as her and were trying to contact their friends and families in other kingdoms and failing. Over the intercom Ruby heard Ozpin begin to speak which silenced everyone there.

“I regret to inform you all that Mr. Torchwick’s message was not a lie. We do not currently know why but the Cross Continental Transit System tower located in Atlas has gone offline. We suspect that he has detonated some kind of electromagnetic pulse that has shorted out the system. Depending on the power of said blast we may be hit by aftershocks. If that is the case then it is no cause for worry. Nobody can be harmed by these waves. Expect some possible power outage and interference. If any of you have loved ones in other kingdoms I assure you that they are perfectly safe. Under no circumstances can they be harm-”

He was interrupted by what sounded like a low buzzing that created incomprehensible static. The lights shut off and all scrolls and electronic devices followed suit. Ruby turned towards the rest of her team to match their faces of shock. He had done it. Roman Torchwick with the press of a button brought down one of the most revolutionary instruments known to man. She knew that she had to do something. As team leader she could not stand weak in the face of evil. She had others who were counting on her to lead them to victory. She then remembered their promise they made after Blake revealed that Torchwick had escaped.

“I say we bring back the anti-Torchwick pact back into effect. Anyone else agree?” Her own troubles with Cobalt could wait. Now was the time to be strong.

“I will do whatever it takes to put him behind bars. Yes.” Said Blake with fire in her eyes.

“He has crossed a point of no return. Yes.” Said Weiss with her calm, formal attitude.

“I'm all for kicking his ass. Hell yes.” Said Yang smashing her fists together.

“Actually can we get involved in this?” Ruby turned to see that it was Jaune who asked the question. 

“It sounds like fun. The more the merrier right?” Joined in Pyrrha. 

“I'm all for it.” Said Ren quietly.

“Let's break his legs!” Yelled Nora with excitement.

Looking at everyone Ruby felt so proud and lucky to be surrounded by such good friends. Ruby jumped onto the table and “Alright then. Together we can take this man down and bring him to justice! We'll meet in our room later to discuss the details. Right now we need to find out as much as we can about him.”

“All power is out in the city Ruby. We can't look anything up.” Said Jaune.

“Then we'll do what our ancestors did. To the library!” Said Ruby with unwavering excitement.

“Class is about to start in a few minutes.” Brought up Weiss.

“To the library on your free time then!” Ruby yelled with seemingly more enthusiasm than before. Ruby and the rest of her team as well as JNPR picked up their stuff to head to their classes. Fortunately they did not use electricity often in them and most classrooms had plenty of windows for lighting. On the way she began brainstorming how to organize this little pact of theirs. The last thought she had before Oobleck began his caffeinated lecture was that maybe, just maybe she would be able to convince Cobalt to participate in some way when he came back.


	21. The Coming Dawn

Roman was feeling better. Not good but better than he had been for the past week. His blood pressure was dropping into the healthy range again and while he found himself angry most of the time he had cooled off quite a bit. Literally. The ship that he had stored all of Atlas’s EMP’s had no heat or power after what he did. He knew that the EMP from the emitter was going to be powerful but had no idea it would be as strong as it was. He fried most circuits in Atlas which resulted in a seven day long power outage. That combined with the cold made for a very chilly experience. According to the news that was brought back online with the fixing of the Atlas tower, the EMP took out all power in Atlas for seven days, Vale for three, and Vacuo and Mistral for one. Cargo ships and transports could not be used until the tower got back online for directioning systems. He left the ship to the White Fang to take care of transport. After all he needed to get back to school before his cover was blown. He made sure to change back into his Cobalt disguise before getting on one of the first aerial transports out of Atlas. He was finally making his way back to Vale. 

With the time he had alone he was able to clear his mind and think properly for the first time in a while. All he thought about was how he was being an idiot. The largest idiot he had ever known. Ruby was in his thoughts every day. That is something that should not be happening. He should be planning how he would kill her not what would make her smile. Had anyone asked him a month earlier what would his reaction to seeing her dead would be, he would say that he would have laughed. Now he found the thought sickening to his very core. He thought that maybe after this time away from her he would get over it but with each passing day he missed her more. He missed her cheery little smile that would light up his day. He missed her laugh that would make his heart flutter. He missed her being there next to him, making him feel whole again. 

He mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. He should not be getting involved in something of this matter even if they were on the same side. Romance is chaotic, fickle and unpredictable. If he continued on this path it would only lead to disaster. Knowing this did not deter him though. She had somehow found an emotional chink in his armor and with a surprising amount of determination has been unveiling what was underneath. He was starting to feel parts of himself he thought that he killed off. It was addicting. Just like a drug he knew that it was wrong but could not get over that feeling that it gave him. Even though he knew that the more time he spent with her, the more pain both of them would feel, he could not resist it. Now he was starting to feel the side effects. While he was feeling happier and more alive he started feeling guilt, remorse and regret for the first time in years. To someone with his occupation those are what brings down the greatest of criminals. 

He shook his head as he tried to wake himself up. It was in the early hours of the morning and he was almost in Vale but he still did not know how to say hello to Ruby tonight or in the morning. Glumly, he decided that it would probably be best to just stay the rest of the night in his apartment and rejoin classes in the morning. After all, the large bag he was carrying held his traditional clothes as well as Melodic Cudgel which would blow his cover if he brought those to school. 

He walked into his apartment to see everything just like how it was before. He looked around at the luxury and wealth before him. From the stolen paintings covering the walls, to the imported rugs, to the silk of his bed sheets. This was only one of several apartments spread throughout Vale that were decorated roughly the same. He remembered coming home each day from whatever work he was doing and looking at such wealth with pride, that he was able to overcome the challenges before him and make a life for himself. Now it did not really mean anything. They were just things. But that had never bothered him before. He scoured the room searching for what was missing, what was it that prevented him from feeling that sensation of pride. That's when it clicked. Sure all of these material goods served their purpose but have they ever cared for him, supported him in his time of need or gave him encouragement? No. Yet everyone that did he just shoved away. Neo, Junior, Ruby, he pushed them all away. With a sigh of self-pity he retired himself to his bed to end the day. He felt his eyelids drooping but he had enough energy to whisper one last thing before drifting into unconsciousness. “It'll all be better tomorrow.”

After only a few hours of sleep he got up and left for Beacon in his Cobalt disguise. With the clock reading 6:00 am he should have enough time to sneak back into school undetected. The walk there was dreary although whether it was from the slow drizzle and overcast skies or him regretting his decisions for the past week he was unsure. Making it to Beacon he thanked his past self for making his cloak waterproof. The rain outside had begun to pick up and was now audible no matter where you were in the school. Having procrastinated it enough already he prepared a text to Ruby apologizing for running off and saying that he returned and would like to talk. He expected that she would agree and that they could talk things over privately after classes. What he did not expect is what happened next.

He was just finishing his message and was about to send it when he was turning around the last corner to the hallway that held his room. Next thing he knew he felt like a cannonball struck his chest and felt himself flying backwards into the wall. Now a crumpled heap on the floor he looked up to see the one person he did not expect to see so early, Ruby, in pajamas and rubbing her head. Her eyes were closed as she tried to massage her forehead from such an impact. “Sorry! I was just going on a morning run I didn't expect anyone to be up so early. I didn't mean to run into anyone. Are you alright?” She then opened her eyes and realized just who she had run into. “Cobalt?”

“Hello Ruby. That sure is one hell of a way of waking someone up.” He said unmoving from his position. He could feel his aura healing a few broken ribs but the process was exceptionally painful and did not want to move to make things worse. 

“Cobalt! When did you get back?! Why did you leave like that?! Don't you know how worried I was?!” After a short pause she asked “Are you alright?”

“Never better.” He said stifling a moan of pain. He tried to get up and fell, only to be stopped by Ruby now at his side to help him. “Thank you for the assistance. So how have things been with you?” He said once he was standing with stability. 

Ruby began to slap him while alternating cheeks for each slap. It was with a force that was somewhere between playful and actually stinging. Each slap was given its own corresponding syllable in her next string of sentences. “How-do-you-think-things-have-been? You-left-at-the-worst-time-ever. Don't-you-real-ize-how-wor-ried-you-made-me?” She then pulled him in for a very loving kiss. After about five seconds she withdrew and started slapping him again. “Why-would-you-just-leave-like-that? I-told-you-that-if-you-were-up-set-to-come-to-me-and-you-did-the-op-po-site. And-you-did-n't-ev-en-tell-me-when-you-came-back.” 

“If-you're-done-I-would-like-to-ex-plain-my-self.” She stopped and gave one last slap for good measure. “I suppose I deserved that last one. First of all I was going to tell you when I got back. I was typing the text until we had this abrupt meeting. Let me send it now.” He said pressing send. There was an obvious vibrating sound coming from her side where she stuck her scroll. Pulling it out, she read through the entire message before speaking again.

“You still ignored what I said. You didn't come to me for help.”

“Ruby I-” 

He was interrupted by her wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. “No buts. You shouldn't have left. There are people who care for you and you shouldn't leave them when they are willing to help.”

Lightly returning the embrace he said “Ruby I learned that the hard way while I was gone. Do you remember how angry I was at the flower shop?”

She paused for a brief moment before saying “Yes.”

His voice softened as he calmed down from the contact. “Imagine that multiplied by two and lasting a whole week. That's how I've felt. I didn't want to hurt you.”

“But you'd never do that.”

“Yes I would!” He snapped. He took a few deep breaths and tightened the embrace. He waited until his anger ebbed away before he continued. “Not on purpose or intending to but I would. I always have. Everything and everyone I care about I just end up hurting.” 

He had a flashback towards the past week where in his rage he was not afraid to hurt anyone. He had locked himself in his room to contain the destructive forces that lay inside him. If he learned anything from all of this there were two undeniable truths. His feelings for her were growing day by day. But also that the greatest threat to Ruby’s safety was the person she was holding right now. His breathing became shaky and he could feel his internal barriers start to break. He tried to fight it but he could not help himself as he let out a soft cry and a tear began to fall down his cheek. 

He felt her raise her hand and gently wipe it away. “It's alright. I'm here now and everything will be okay.”

“No it's not.” He croaked. “I pushed everyone who tried to help me away. I was mean and cruel to my only friends. I practically abandoned you. I screwed up.”

“Well you know what you did wrong and the fact that you know that it was wrong means that you can make it right again. I don't know about your friends but the fact that you realize you should've just come to me instead is enough for me to forgive you. I'm sure that they'll feel the same. Just try to learn from this mess up.”

“I will.”

“There there. It's all going to be alright.” She soothed.

“I'm not a young child Ruby.”

“Can you give up on the tough guy act already? I can tell when you're hurting and you don't need to hide it from me. It's alright if you're upset about something. You've gone through a lot. I don't expect you to be ‘Mr. Macho’… Really… Ever. I like your soft side. I'm not asking you to change… Just… Don't be afraid of being who you really are.”

“And just who would that be?”

“A nice and sweet person who just needs to see that this world isn't as cruel as they think it is. I know you've made some mistakes but we all do. Some more often than others, but that does not make you any less of a person.”

He could not help but smile and said “Yeah, I guess you've got me there.” He leaned in to kiss her again and he felt all his woes leave his mind. All that mattered was having Ruby in his arms again. But the real world kept moving on and he knew they could not stay there forever. He ended up pulling away only to have her lean into the kiss even more to keep it going. _“Damn. When did this become so difficult?”_ He thought to himself.

Reluctantly pulling back even more he broke the kiss and said “I hate to break this up but I've got some people to call and apologies to make. Do you think we can continue all this after class today?”

She seemed a bit disappointed at first but returned to normal when he mentioned that they could continue after class. “Sure. Besides I have to get going. We don't want the rest of my team figuring out that I'm seeing anyone now, do we?” She said with a wink.

“Yeah.” After a quick goodbye kiss he watched as Ruby sped off again across the school. He was too lucky. To have someone like her in his life was amazing. Ruby was the most innocent and happy person he had ever met. While he was actually being himself around her he still felt as if he was using her. Sure the information he learned from her was already documented so he had told his higher ups nothing but it was still a form of betrayal. Why did the most cheerful and loving person he had ever known have to have feelings for him? If he was actually being himself did she have feelings for this Cobalt persona or the real him? These questions and more zipped through his head the longer he stood there. That was the one good thing about school in this case. He was forced to think about something other than his life troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this was a tad bit late. I discovered some plot holes and with my schedule I did not have time to fix them yesterday. But better late than never as they always say. I'd prefer it to be late and good than on time and bad.


	22. Sacrifice

Cobalt stared off into the distance, the landscape illuminated by the fractured moon. He stood not a part of the imagery in front of him but behind it, behind a window that's bars held him in like a prison. With how things have been going it might as well have been a prison. He felt trapped with no way out. He was Roman Torchwick, the man who always had an alternate route, a backup plan or a last case scenario mapped. Yet for all of his knowledge of strategy he could not find a way out of this one. 

He could see Neo walk up next to him and join him at staring out the bedroom window. He was thankful that she was there so he could talk about something that would distract him from his woes. It had been a week since he returned to Beacon but his days have kept on getting worse. The time he spent with Ruby always helped but now he was starting to question whether or not it was enough to make up for hell that each and every day had become. Today had been exceptionally painful and if there was one thing he did not want to do that was talk about his day.

_[So how was your day?]_

He could not catch a break could he? “I would be lying if I say I would enjoy that subject.”

_[Stick to subtlety Roman. You're doing a great job at it.]_

“I don't care if I'm not being subtle. I just need to get my mind off of what it's stuck on.”

_[Am I correct when I say this involves Red?]_

“Why do you keep asking me that as of late?”

_[Why are you so sappy lovesick as of late?]_

“Don't make me bring up Blondie.” He growled.

_[Sheesh, that bad of a day huh? Well I'm not asking you to tell me how it went but if you want to vent I'm here for you.]_

“Thank you Neo. That means a lot to me.” He shuffled for a moment before he continued. “If I haven't said it yet I am sorry for my behavior at Junior’s.”

_[I've been counting Roman. That's the seventh time you've apologized to me. I'm over it. Question is are you?]_

He gave a hollow laugh. “I suppose I'm not yet. It's just that our numbers are dropping and I'm afraid that I'd lose you too.”

_[Roman you don't need to worry about me. You need to worry about yourself. Have you seen yourself recently? You look like a mess. Every day your eyes get heavier and your hair however short it is has gone wild. I've seen you staying up late just staring at the moon doing nothing but losing sleep. You need to get a hold of yourself!]_

“Well… I'm having a bit of a personal dilemma.”

_[Which is?]_

“I'm having a problem controlling myself.”

_[You don't mean… like… with urges-]_

He snapped back “No I don't mean that! God no. Grow up.”

_[Look who's talking.]_

“Oh ha ha. Back to all seriousness I have a problem and it's growing.” 

_[Oh I'm sure it is.]_ Neo typed with a smirk.

“Can you not be suggestive please? It would help a lot, please, and thank you. My expressions. I'm slowly losing control of my facial expressions.”

_[How?]_

Cobalt turned back towards the moon as if retelling the story to it would have it give him the answer. “I don't know, but I have several examples of this. Back when the riots ran rampant after the art museum Ruby and I worked at a refugee camp. When we watched the new refugees enter the camp I had to fight myself because I had the natural reaction to laugh. After all they're getting what they deserve. Of course normally you would never know that I felt that way but I had to use all my energy not to show it. That wasn't just it though. Other than normal manners telling me not to there was something else. I was overcome by disgust. Not by those arriving but at myself for even having the urge to laugh. The two collided with each other and based off of Ruby’s reaction they were clearly evident on my face. I must say that had to be one of the most contorted faces I've ever made. Something else along these lines happened on the way to find the flower shop owner. Ruby said something that mildly upset me and I suddenly had a moment where anxiety and logic fought each other. Anxiety won and I snapped at her. Then there are now points where I will suddenly start crying even when I'm not aware that I am. What's wrong with me?”

The silence that arose was so powerful that he felt as if he may go deaf. After what felt like an eternity Neo typed _[So how long has this been going on?]_

Cobalt sighed and rubbed his eyes. “The past few weeks but I'm not really sure anymore.”

_[I don't think that anything is necessarily wrong with you. We all experience those times when we doubt our line of work. You just seem to be having a rough patch. You'll get through it. I know you will.]_

“Alright but tell me Neo… Have you ever had a conscience?”

_[Mine died the same day my voice did. So yeah I've **had** one.]_

“Has it ever come back? Even just for a brief moment? Has it ever returned from the grave?”

_[On small occasions but only when I would steal something from one of you guys.]_

Cobalt raised an eyebrow and said warily “I never noticed you stealing from us.”

_[Exactly. I tried but couldn’t, but that’s beside the point. You're saying that yours has come back I take it? From how you're taking things I assume it's not just some small voice in the back of your head?]_

After a heavy sigh he said “Indeed. But it's not something that tells me to do good things. Whatever I'm experiencing, it’s much worse.”

_[How so?]_

“Imagine a voice that never ceases. One that will not be silent no matter how many times you ask it to be. The more you try to ignore it the louder it yells. It criticizes me. It taunts me. It tortures me. It calls out my every move, every action, every thought and uses it to hurt me. It plays for me the images of everyone I've hurt and everyone I could hurt. It's beginning to break me Neo. I can't do anything but watch myself shatter.”

Roman put his hand up against the wall to use it for support. He felt lightheaded as if he may faint. They stood together in silence as minutes passed on by with the only sound being his own heartbeat. After some fidgeting Neo put a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her to see one of her rare faces of concern. She typed _[So it's coming back again. Remorse, guilt, shame. They're all coming back to you again aren't they?]_

After taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down he muttered “Yes.”

_[Well each time this happens you just have to eliminate the cause of it and you'll return to normal. So what caused it this time?]_

He hesitated before saying “That could be problematic. The source of it all is also the only thing that relieves it. The only thing that makes me feel better is the thing that caused this in the first place.”

_[Oh no.]_

“Here it comes.”

_[It’s Red isn't it? Of all people you had to fall for her?]_

“You think I wanted to? I have no control over whoever I have feelings for. She was downright determined to get under my skin and it worked.”

_[If all of this has happened because of her I think that you should cut ties with her. This isn't healthy Roman.]_

“I know that but for some reason I can't.”

_[Look I'm all for you being happy but your health comes first. Even if you can get ahold of yourself how would this work? I mean have you ever considered your age difference? The fact that you're undercover? That you have tried to kill each other several times?]_

“You think that I haven't already thought of those? They're practically all I think about now.”

_[Well stop thinking and start doing. You need to cut ties with her.]_

“Oh I know that. I've known that for a while. The problem is that I can't.”

_[Maybe you can't but I can.]_

“And just how would you do that?”

_[Did you forget that I'm here to watch over you? I'm responsible for your wellbeing and health. I can withdraw you from this position at any time with one text to Cinder.]_

Cobalt knew that she was right. Had he not met Ruby and been feeling this way he would have told her to send the message as fast as she could. But if he left then that would mean the end of their relationship. While he knew that it would be best he could not bring himself to do that. She had become such a part of his life that he felt incomplete without her. “You don't have to do that. I'm fine.”

_[That has to be the worst lie I've ever heard you say. You're not fine.]_

With more emphasis he said “I will make myself fine. You don't need to withdraw me from this project. I'll get over this. But I think that it would be best if you leave for tonight.”

_[I trust you Roman. If you say and believe that you can make yourself better then you can stay. But if at any point I think that you can't take it then I'll have you shipped out. Don't take this as a threat. I'm doing this for your wellbeing.]_

“I still think that it would be best if you leave.”

_[As you wish. Just keep what I said in mind.]_

After the sound of heels clicking on the floor and the swift opening and closing of the door he was alone again. He knew he should get some sleep but he returned to viewing out at the moon again. It's beauty while being surrounded by utter chaos reminded him of his peculiar situation. He continued to stare at it into the long hours of the night.

* * *

To Cobalt’s surprise the food was exceptionally good the following day. Of course it was appetizing everyday but never quite matched his fine dining habits that he had become accustomed to. He looked around him eyeing all of these oblivious students who had no idea that their biggest threat was right under their noses. He could see on the other end of the cafeteria a group of Atlas students arguing with a group of other students of varying nationalities. It looked like it was getting pretty heated. He turned his gaze away in disgust and continued his lunch. One of the side effects off the EMP was that Atlas had to take full blame of the incident. It created an international scandal and almost cost Ironwood his job. To accommodate for the incident Atlas had to publicize all of their documents dealing with dust experimentation. General mistrust between kingdoms based off of those documents made the Vytal tournament, which should have been next week, postponed for two months so that it could occur under more favorable circumstances. That meant another two months of school.

Unfortunately Atlas and those from Atlas were suffering increasing tensions between people of other nationalities and themselves. He could now hear the argument as more people came together on both sides. He was having a migraine from his conscience and did not want to have to deal with this, but if it kept growing at this rate then he would end up blowing a fuse. By this point almost everyone in the cafeteria was on one of two sides. Finishing his meal he cleaned up and began walking over to the center of the dispute with one person on each side speaking for the group. He did not want to get involved but between his migraine and the fact that he was technically responsible for this scandal motivated him to do so. Stepping in from the side he could tell that the speaker for the Atlas community was losing. Cobalt walked up to the man and began whispering in his ear.

“Hey! You over there! We were in the middle of something you can't just barge in!” Exclaimed the other debater.

The Atlas representative nodded his head a few times and rejoined the crowd leaving Cobalt alone in front of the Atlas students. Cobalt studied his debater. The man in front of him wore metal armor with a bird engraved on his chestplate. He had a smug smile on his face and a haircut almost like his own. Cobalt remembered him in several of his classes. This one was more annoying than Ruby was before he went undercover.

“Cardin Winchester. To what do I owe the pleasure of finally being able to speak with you?” 

“Shut it ginger. Why is at Atlesian prick like yourself defending these people?”

“I'm sorry but you told me to shut up then asked me a question. Which do you want?”

“So you're one of those people.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re an ass.”

“Takes one to know one.” Cobalt said with a cunning smile. “Now that formalities are done let us begin. So please could you inform me as to why someone like you, who clearly has better things to do, is fighting against all of these innocent people?”

“They're not innocent. They're Atlesian and were working together to create that EMP. Their dust experiments counted as crimes against humanity.”

“So? These are students in training to become the hunters and huntresses of tomorrow. Do you really expect that they spend day in and day out in a lab working on EMPs?”

“Their supporting a kingdom hell bent on conquering the rest of the world!”

Cobalt laughed at the end of that statement. “Are you that dense? Has it ever occurred inside that thick skull of yours that this is a misunderstanding? We have numerous enemies including the Grimm and psychopathic criminals that want us brought to our knees.” Cobalt then began pacing back and forth and speaking outwardly to everyone present. “People of Beacon can you not see that this is just what they want? People like Torchwick are not lifting a veil from our eyes. Instead he's letting us see through holes in the curtain and claiming that he knows what's underneath. He wants us to be at each other's throats because he can profit from it. You really want to fight him? Then start here. Resist his implications. Do not separate us based off of nationality. Instead use this as motivation to unite. He has stressed the relations between our kingdoms but we as the youth of this world will determine the future of them. Do not let it be one of hatred and vengeance.”

He knew that he would be suffering repercussions for this speech of his but right now what was most important was getting rid of his migraine. He could deal with a bunch of ambitious children later. He turned back to face Cardin just in time to hear his rebuttal.

“I'm surprised you haven't choked yourself to death on all that shit spewing from your mouth.” Cardin said as he turned around to look at his group of supporters. Cobalt could see that the base supporters of his opponent were rethinking their views and it was decreasing their morale while increasing his own. A few of them switched sides but not enough that Cardin would give up.

“Wow Cardin. I never thought that I would say this but you actually helped with something. You helped prove that even though bigots like you will always be around trying to support division, it is through unification that we succeed.” 

“Shut up.”

“The same goes to you.” Cobalt heard a voice to his side say. He looked over towards the direction of this new voice. To his surprise he saw his old dining buddies: team RWBY and JNPR standing together. Based off of the voice he assumed the one who made the remark was Yang.

“Just what is going on here?” Asked Pyrrha now crossing her arms. 

“Great. Another ginger bitch has joined the party.” Replied Cardin.

Jaune turned red with anger. Quick as a flash, Jaune raced forward and grabbed Cardin by the collar and forced Cardin to face him. “Cardin do you remember what I told you back when that Ursa was after you? I told you to not ever mess with my team… My friends again. That was true then and it still is now. Nobody treats Pyrrha that way as long as I have anything to say or do about it. So back off unless you want to end up on your scrawny little ass.” Jaune said before he gave Cardin a shove and returned by the side of his team red in the face.

People were silent from the sudden outburst but in order to make Jaune not feel awkward for his brief moment of courage teams RWBY and JNPR congratulated him for standing up.

“You all can just go fuck yourselves!” Replied Cardin whose face was red with rage.

Cobalt interjected and said “Come now Cardin. So much anger over such a small comment. But it's your move. What'll it be?”

“You’re all pieces of shit for trying to defend them! They almost brought the world to war!”

Cobalt was about to speak but Ruby beat him to it “These are innocent people who are trying to prevent what you're saying they've done. They've done nothing wrong and you shouldn't be doing this. You're just being a big bully.”

“You think I'm a bully huh? Just nothing more than a school bully?” Cardin pulled out his mace from his belt and started waving it around with his normal hand gestures for intimidation. “We're just having some fun. That's all. Some good old fashioned fun.”

Cobalt who had not removed his eyes from the mace made the comment “That is a very large mace you're holding right there. Are you sure that it's not compensating for something?”

“Oh it's on now.”

“Oh I'm sorry. Did he give your ego a boo boo?” Said Ruby.

Cobalt turned his head in shock. Ruby saying something sassy? He thought he would never see the day. He could not help but start laughing. Only he knew that she was picking it up from him. Based off of the laughter filling up the room others must have found it as funny as he did. Even Ruby joined in after she realized that they were laughing with her and not at her.

Cobalt glanced over at Cardin and stopped laughing immediately. Nobody else saw it but Cardin had brought his arm back with his mace in hand. Cobalt knew what Cardin was doing. He could see the unbridled rage. Reason had left Cardin and he had a murderous gleam in his eyes. Cobalt watched as the mace left Cardin’s hand and started flying towards them. Time slowed and Cobalt saw who he had aimed it at. Cardin hated to be laughed at and in his state of anger he lost all logical reasoning. Cardin just aimed at the last person that angered him. It was Ruby. He was going to attack Ruby! Cobalt did not think or plan ahead. Even he did not have time for that. He acted on a moment's impulse and ran towards where the two teams were standing. Seeing the mace fly through the air he ran faster and faster to the point that he reached his own maximum velocity. Just before the weapon would hit Ruby he jumped in front of her, turning so that his chest would take the blow. Barely able to get in front of her in time, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his forehead and everything went black.


	23. Sedation

“Oh I'm sorry. Did he give your ego a boo boo?” Ruby’s eyes bulged when she realized what left her mouth. She did not mean to say that. It was only her first thought and just instinctively came out. She could feel her face heat up as those near by directed their attention to her. Looking over to her right she saw Cobalt between her and the other Atlesian students he was defending. He was smiling and tried to stifle a laugh. Eventually he could not help it anymore and just began cracking up. When he broke out laughing so did many others throughout the room. 

Ruby felt like she just wanted to hide up in a corner and disappear. Everyone was laughing at her and she could feel her face turn the shade of her cloak. She was just about to run out in embarrassment until her sister put her in a headlock. “I'm so proud of you! You're finally starting to grow up!”

“Yang stop it! I'm embarrassed enough already!”

“Oh come on. That was adorable. We're not laughing at you. We're laughing with you. I'm sorry but I never thought I'd see the day my little sis would be salty.”

Ruby could not help but join into the contagious laughter. Yang was right that this was so unlike her. Only Ruby knew where she was picking it up from though. All that time with Cobalt was wearing off on her. After Yang rubbed Ruby’s head with her knuckles she let her guard down and Ruby was finally able to free herself. She turned her head to look at Cobalt’s reaction when she saw something flying towards her. Her heartbeat spiked instantly.

_“Thump. Thump.”_ Ruby saw what it was. It was a large mace spinning rapidly. Cardin must have been angered enough by her statement that in rage he threw it at them. No, he did not throw it at them. He threw it at her.

_“Thump. Thump.”_ It was too close that Ruby would not be able to avoid it even if she used her semblance. Ruby tried to think of a way to minimize the damage. Nothing came to her. 

_“Thump. Thump.”_ Ruby closed her eyes waiting for the impending strike to hit her. She just hoped that nobody she cared for would also be hurt.

Ruby’s heart was beating out of her chest and she stood there awaiting the vengeful strike. She heard a strange “clunk”, a dripping sound and then total silence. She did not feel any impact. She did not feel any pain. Afraid that it hit her and she did not feel anything she quickly touched her face and reassured herself that she was unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief until she realized that it meant that someone else had taken the hit. That somebody took a bullet for her. Now afraid at who put her life above their own she took a small peek and gasped. 

Laying in front of her was the unmoving figure of Cobalt. He was lying on his stomach and a pool of blood was coming from his head. The mace was lying next to him with one of the ends covered in blood. “Cobalt.” She said in a barely audible whisper. “Cobalt? Cobalt?! Cobalt! COBALT!!!!” She began screaming. In that moment she forgot that her friends were there watching this all unfold. She forgot that Cobalt and her had agreed to remain a secret. She forgot that she was supposed to hate him. All she remembered was all the fond memories they shared together and how she did not want to lose him. She dropped to her knees and crawled over to where he lay. Just before she reached him, a screaming yellow flash flew over him and kept on running. Once Ruby reached him she heard a gunshot ring out. She grabbed him and turned him over. He had a deep gash in his face stretching from the base of his hairline on his left side, above his nose and continuing down to the edge of his right cheek. She began hyperventilating and sobbing uncontrollably while trying to hold him as close to her as she could. Resting his head in her lap she exclaimed between cries everything that came to mind.

“Why?!” Another gunshot rang out in the distance. “Why did this have to happen to you?!” 

_Bang_ another round fired. 

“I'm so sorry! Please! Please don't leave me!” 

_Bang._

“Cobalt don't you quit! You can't quit on me yet!” 

_Bang._

“Cobalt please! Please just… Don't go!” 

_Bang._

Ruby suddenly felt arms wrap around her own and pull her backwards. But she could not leave. Could they not see that he was dying? That she had to help him? 

_Bang._

Ruby kicked and screamed to free herself from these arms pulling her away from Cobalt. 

_Bang. Bang._

She could hear muttering in the background but between her own desperate cries and the ever increasing pace of gunshots she could not understand them. 

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Ruby squirmed and wrestled against the relentless force pulling her away. 

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

She even tried to unsheathe Crescent Rose only to find one of the arms having already taken it. 

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

She let out one last gut wrenching wail before they dragged her out of the cafeteria, out of the view of Cobalt, out of the view of the one who valued her life above their own.

_Bang. Bang._

Over her whimpering and the sound of the owners of the arms dragging her she could only hear the sound of the gun shots finally slowing down. 

_Bang._

Slowing down until one last round fired and the clinks of the shells hitting the floor rang out through the halls.

_Bang._

* * *

Ruby slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was a little blurry but from the angle and texture of the bed she was in she could identify it. She was in her room resting on her own bed. Turning her head she heard some commotion throughout the room. Everything was a bit muffled so it was hard to hear who said what.

“Hey she's waking up.”

“Alright but give her some space. You saw how she reacted. We don't want to cause that again.”

“Alright I will.” She could hear footsteps come closer until they stopped. “Hey Ruby. How are you holding up?”

Blinking rapidly and the muffling ringing finally leaving her ears she could see and hear again like normal. The first thing she saw was Jaune standing by the edge of her bed. “Hey Jaune. I guess I'm doing alright. I don't remember why I would be upset though.” In a hushed whisper Ruby asked “Also why are you in my room?”

That earned a chuckle from him. “You just experienced a bit of tumble. It was nothing big but we wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“We?” Ruby asked quizzically. Finally gaining the strength to look up she looked around to see two more people gathered in the room. There was Jaune, Pyrrha and Weiss. Jaune was standing by her bedside while Pyrrha and Weiss were sitting on Blake’s bed to be able to sit and talk to her. “So why are you all here?” Ruby asked.

Pyrrha spoke first saying “Like Jaune said we were worried for you. So we just wanted to make sure you were alright when you woke up.”

“Did-did I faint?” Ruby said sitting up and rubbing her forehead.

Jaune said “Yeah but it's all better now. Everything is going to be fine.”

Ruby could not tell how she knew but she could tell that all of their smiles were forced. Ruby then began asking whatever came to mind. “So if I fainted then where's Yang?”

The three of them gave looks to each other while having a silent conversation over who would tell her. After a few seconds Weiss groaned and said “Fine. I'll tell her. Look Ruby she also fainted but she's going to be just fine.”

“Okay. But if I fainted and I'm here then why isn't she here too? And where's Blake, Nora and Ren?”

“Blake is with Yang. They're going to be fine it's just that the doctors said that they wanted to watch over Yang for a few hours until she wakes up.”

“Okay. But where's Ren and Nora?”

Pyrrha chimed in saying “They're just watching over another student who fainted. They're fine.”

“How many of us fainted?”

“Four. There were four.” She replied. 

“Who were the other two?”

After another series of awkward glances Jaune said with a hint of vile “Cardin. Cardin was one.”

“Cardin?” Ruby tried to piece together how Cardin was possibly related to Yang and her fainting. “Alright? So who was the fourth?” That resulted in all of them looking away from her at the same time. Now a little afraid she asked again “Um… Who was the fourth person who fainted?” Still no response was given from any of the three there. Ruby began racking her brain, searching for anything and everything that she could remember that would lead to Cardin, Yang and herself fainting. She remembered eating lunch until she heard a large commotion. She had walked over with the rest of her team and team JNPR to stop the fight. They were going to stop it until they realized who was speaking. 

That's when it started to hit her. The memories all came flowing back at once. The sarcastic comments and the laughing. The impending doom and the sacrifice. The unconscious body and the blood. Her eyes went wide and she felt her heart beating out of her own chest. All she could do was mutter “Cobalt.” 

She heard Jaune yell “Oh no! Everyone help me pin her down!”

Ruby grasped her head as she felt the tears start falling like rain. She began crying out to him like she did before. Her heart was racing and she felt herself get dizzy from hyperventilating. Her sense of reality began to slip and she felt herself lose control of her body. Suddenly she was pushed down onto her back and felt someone laying on her. About to kick Pyrrha off she felt someone else jump onto her legs and hold them down. Pyrrha was now sitting on Ruby’s stomach while pushing Ruby’s arms down as hard as she could. Between her and Jaune who was using his body weight to hold down her legs, Ruby was officially immobilized. Ruby tried to squirm and thrash to escape, all the while screaming for Cobalt.

“Quick Weiss! The needle! Use it now!” She heard Jaune yell. Looking over she saw Weiss’s face beginning to tear up. Ruby felt a small prick in her arm and she looked down to see a needle sticking out of it with a syringe injecting her with a clear liquid. 

Looking back up at Weiss with a face of defeat she said “Weiss?”

“I'm so sorry!” Weiss exclaimed through her tears. Ruby suddenly felt very sleepy and as much as she tried to fight it she was losing. Finally having lost she asked “Why?” before collapsing and everything fading into black.

* * *

Ruby’s eyes crept open to see a very white and clean smelling room. The first thing that she felt was how tired she was. She just wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep until she heard voices in the room.

“Hey everyone I think she's awake.” Ruby then saw one by one each of her friends gather around her bed. There was the rest of team RWBY and JNPR all here. Even in her drowsy state Ruby could see how tired everyone looked. They looked just like how Blake did when she had become obsessed with catching Torchwick. Yang the most of all who looked like a small breeze could knock her over.

“Where-where am I?” She asked groggily. 

“We're in Beacon's med-bay. How are you feeling?” Asked Blake.

“Sleepy… Very sleepy… Weiss what did you do to me?” She said leaning her head over to face Weiss. Upon meeting her gaze Weiss looked down to not look her in the eye. “What? What did you do to me?”

“What?!” Barked Yang. “What's she talking about Weiss? What happened?” 

Jaune came to her defense saying “Don't blame her I told her to do it. We had to sedate her.”

Yang now aimed her gaze at him. Her eyes turned red and she lunged after Jaune but fell. Blake was barely able to catch her and with how weak she looked Ruby thought that Yang would collapse the moment she stopped using Blake as support. “If I wasn't still getting off of the drugs they gave me to stop me from killing that son of a bitch Cardin… Then you wouldn't have a mouth to speak from.” She said while she struggled to keep herself upright. 

Jaune was trying to hold his anger in but was starting to let it slip into his voice. “Do you think I wanted to?! I'd never try to harm Ruby. I had no choice in the matter. I was given direct orders from Ozpin to do this if Ruby began reacting the same way she did at the cafeteria.”

“Why? Why would he do that?”

“Because this could lead to war!” He yelled ushering the room into silence. He took a few deep breaths and then tried to explain. “The tensions between the kingdoms are already at an all-time high. Something like this could very well be the breaking point. Think about how the media would react. That a Vale student almost killed an Atlas student while he was here to attend a festival made in the name of peace. It would make international news.”

“How does this lead to Ruby’s sedation?!”

“Do you not remember what happened? It took four of us to pull Ruby out of there. We couldn't risk her freaking out again and escaping. Ozpin is currently working on a way to get everyone who saw this to stay silent. This situation is tense enough as it is we don't need Ruby to flip and possibly make it worse. I tried to come up with some other way but-”

Ruby muttered “Can you all stop fighting?” The two of them turned their heads to face her then hung their heads in shame. “I'm sorry but please don't fight. I can't bear to see you all fighting each other. We're all friends and friends shouldn't fight.” After a quick round of apologies from each of them Ruby asked the major question on her mind. “So is Cobalt going to be alright?”

One by one they turned their gazes away from her. With every pair of eyes avoiding her own she felt her heart get heavier and heavier. After silently pleading with each of them to answer she closed her eyes, hoping that the sedatives would take over again and she could sleep for another few hours. To her surprise she heard Pyrrha speak up.

“We… We don't know. Nora, Ren you two were there to monitor his condition. Perhaps you could explain more?”

Nora said in a depressed voice “He's not doing so well.”

Ren gave a heavy sigh and picked up where Nora left off “He's still in the ICU. He's lost a lot of blood and we don't know if he's going to make it. They've been trying to determine his blood type to give him transfusions for the past few hours.”

“But-but what about his aura? Shouldn't that be helping him?” Ruby asked. Through the drowsy overtone of her voice she could hear it start to sound panicky.

“In theory it should. For reasons we've yet to understand it's not applying itself. We can detect that it's there but it's not helping at all.”

“How's that possible?”

“We don't know. From what the doctors have said, there is a 50/50 chance of him making it.”

Ruby let that sink in. That he could be gone. She would never again see his handsome smile, hear his genuine laugh or be able to feel his arms around her. She could see his transition, becoming the good person he had hid away, and every step he took to get here. He had finally been the person he could be, himself, around her. Yet the cruel hands of fate were trying to take him away from her grasp. All because of one comment. One comment was about to cost him his life. Ruby tried to hold them back, a desperate but ultimately unsuccessful struggle, and caved in as she felt the first of what would be many tears fall down her cheek. 

Ruby saw Blake help Yang come over to lean down to give her a heartwarming hug. Not one of her classic “choke the breath out of you” bear hugs but a serious and comforting embrace that held with it all the compassion of sisterly love. Returning the embrace Ruby muttered to herself “It's all my fault.”

“What? No. No Ruby it isn't. You aren't responsible. You didn't throw that mace. You aren't the one that hurt him.” Yang’s voice sounded almost motherly and reminded Ruby of all the times that Yang was there to take care of her when she was little. It was a feeling that Ruby had grown to both love and hate.

“Yes I am!” Ruby cried out burying her face into Yang’s shoulder. “I had to say that stupid comment! If it wasn't for me then Cardin wouldn't have ever thrown that mace and Cobalt wouldn't have ever had to run in front of me! He'd still be here smiling and laughing and living life instead of being in a hospital with his life being determined by a flip of a coin!”

“Ruby look at me.” Ruby moved her head off of Yang’s now damp shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “You are not the one to blame. You are not responsible for this at all. Cardin made his own decision and so did Cobalt but in no way are you responsible for it. It's not your fault and I don't want you thinking that it is.” 

Ruby brought her head back into Yang’s shoulder and began crying softly again. “There, there.” Yang said giving her sister small pats on her head. “Everything's going to be alright. You shouldn't worry about him not making it. I think I can say that from what I've seen of him he's far too stubborn to die.”

That earned a small chuckle from Ruby. “Yeah, he is. Thanks Yang. For everything.”

“No problem Rubes. Do you want me to stay right here or do you think you're good?”

“I'm fine.” Said Ruby releasing Yang. “Thanks everyone for waiting here until I woke up. It really means a lot to me.”

“What do you think friends are for?” Said Blake.

“Anyways I'm pretty tired so I'm going to see if I can sleep this off. You all are welcome to leave if you want to.”

Jaune made his way to the door with the rest of his team close behind him. Just before everyone left he said. “I hope you and Cobalt get better soon. You scared us out there today. I'm happy to see you're alright again. And look I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't have a choice in the matter. I hope you understand.”

“I do.” Ruby lied as she watched them leave the room. She felt bad for lying and felt betrayed that they followed through with their orders. She felt helpless to do anything. She had become a danger to herself and everyone around her. Why else would they go to such measures to keep her under “control”? They had put her on sedatives to maintain order. She had become a hassle to them but they could never understand why she did what she did. They could never understand how much Cobalt meant to her and how much she was hurting because of it. They could never grasp that this was not just opening a wound, but salting one that has been healing for years. She felt weak in face of all that lay before her. 

She had run out of strength to stay conscious minutes ago and was running on nothing more than willpower. In an effort to regain her lost strength, she closed her eyes and let the compelling pull of sleep take her instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody. Yeah I know that this posting is late but I'm here now. This week has been killer but I should be able to get back onto the normal schedule again. Before any of you get miffed about me being late hear this. You're getting 3 chapters tonight. That's right, two for the ones I missed and one to apologize for the lateness. I should be posting them shortly. Btw happy Fourth of July everybody. Stay safe.


	24. Storytime

Ruby slept through the rest of the day and woke up in the early hours of the following morning. She checked out of the med-bay and headed to her room. On the way she tried to check up on Cobalt but considering that he was in a barely stable state they wouldn't let anyone but the doctors enter his room. The little clipboard outside his room said he was stabilized and was receiving blood transfusions. It said that he received a multitude of stitches and was currently comatose. His aura was still not functioning to help the healing process. So she glumly headed to her room. Walking through the dark and empty halls only helped remind her of him though. 

She made it to her room to find all of her team asleep. It was late and she did not want to disturb them. After all it was her own partner who put her down. They would just want her asleep to prevent her from causing trouble. They could never understand how it affected her. She hopped up onto her bed but knew that she could not fall asleep. She just woke up from what could be considered a full night's rest. Boredom hitting her much faster than she thought possible she decided she would read some books.

Ruby looked around at the books available. She had read her own books plenty of times so her eyes drifted across the room and eventually landed on Blake’s stash. Thinking to herself that a quick look could not hurt she pulled out a black and red book that she had seen Blake read countless times named “Ninjas of Love”. Out of curiosity she started reading where the bookmark was left. Her face suddenly turned a bright red and she put it back down with a start. With a shaking hand and a permanently changed view of Blake she put the book back where it was to read something more appropriate for her age. In order to remove what she had just read from her mind, Ruby pulled out her book of her favorite fairy tales that she brought from home to take a trip down memory lane. To her surprise there was a story at the end that she never remembered reading or hearing before. The pages were crumpled and old, the print looking handwritten. It had an awfully peculiar title. “Two Sides of a Bloodied Coin” it was called. With curiosity she began reading with care.

_Once upon a time there was a large kingdom that had a beautiful princess. She wanted to be friends with anyone and everyone but was kept locked in the castle. Her mother and sisters told her to stay away from the people. They were mean and smelly and not worth the attention of people as civilized as her. After years of confinement the princess decided to change her clothes to that of a servant and sneak out of the castle to see the people. Under the cover of darkness she danced in the streets for she was finally free. That was until she saw a young boy her age sitting in an alley. He looked upset and the princess came over to cheer him up. He reacted bitterly and tried to shrug her off. He eventually ran away from her and lost her._

_She snuck out the second night and saw him in the same spot. This time he did not run away but they argued until she stormed off._

_The third night he apologized for his behavior. He seemed sincere so she held nothing against him. They began to talk about all sorts of things. They would sit together and gaze at the sky to retell the stories of old about the beings in the stars. They would tell funny stories about their siblings. They would sometimes just sit there in silence, enjoying one another's company._

_This continued on for some time with the days growing on into weeks. They would fight occasionally but always managed to put it past them. One day the boy asked her if she wanted to go on an adventure. She agreed wholeheartedly and asked what they would be doing. The boy pointed towards the castle on top of the hill in the middle of the city and said “We're going to sneak into the castle.”_

_The boy not waiting for a response ran off with the objecting princess in disguise running close behind. Finally catching up to him at the small hole in the wall that she used to leave and meet him he told her what their plan was. He said that they were going to find the kitchen and grab as much food as they could. The princess rejected but he assured her that they were not doing this for selfish purposes. In resignation she followed him along._

_They snuck through the halls undetected while the princess led the boy to the kitchen on “instinct”. Finally making it there the smell of freshly baked bread was overwhelming. There were foodstuffs as far as the eye could see. He began stuffing as much as he could into his clothes and told her to do the same. Reluctantly she agreed and they made their escape._

_They ran back towards their meeting area with food stuffed between every stitch of clothing. Just as the princess spoke up to say that she did not want to be friends with him anymore, he brought a finger to her lips. He said that before she ridiculed his actions to follow him once more. She agreed with her curiosity peaked as to what he had in mind._

_After running through several more streets they turned around a corner into a clearing behind several businesses. She was shocked by what she saw. There were several children leaning against the walls wearing rags and were clearly starving. They looked up at the incoming sound and smiles appeared on every face with the arrival of the boy. They ran to him and hugged him while he distributed the food._

_“Who are these people?” She asked._

_“They're my family.”_

_“These are all your brothers and sisters?”_

_He responded with a laugh “No, none of us are related by blood. Our bond is stronger. We care for one another and will defend each other, even if it costs us our lives. We are family not because we're bound to be. We choose to. Would you like to join our family?”_

_She was shocked that he would be willing to accept her so quickly but she agreed. She was then overcome by a bunch of small children hugging her like they did the boy. She was surrounded by people willing to accept her. She finally had friends. She finally had a family that actually cared for her._

_It became a regular thing where the two of them would meet and would return to the castle to steal food for the younger children who relied on them. The princess also found some of her old simple clothes to give to the children so they could wear something more than their rags. They would never take anything more than what they needed and never enough that it would be missed. As time went on she really bonded with the younger children. Not because she would give them food but because she would play with them every day and would teach them lessons. She felt almost like a mother to them and the boy being a form of substitute father. He even gave her a gift to thank her for her help._

_“Trust me you don't need to give me anything.” She said trying to refuse._

_“No I want to. This is the happiest I've seen all of them in years. You have a calming effect on them like no other I have ever seen. So please, take this.” He said as he held out her hand and placed something cold in it. Looking down at her palm she saw a small coin. One side was so clean that it looked like it was expertly polished. The other side was covered with blood and dirt. “It's supposed to be us.” He said. “You're the shiny side. You always see the best of everyone and always brighten up everyone's day. I'm the dirty side. I always have to steal and cheat. I commit crime every day to live. Yet the two halves come together to make an inseparable bond just like how we make an inseparable team. Just like how this coin can provide for something greater than itself, we also provide for something greater than ourselves. That's why I want you to have this. A physical representation of us. Even if one of us leaves and doesn't come back at least you'll have this to remember these times.”_

_She gave him the strongest hug she had ever given to anyone and said “Thank you. I'll treasure it forever.”_

_One day came where the princess fell ill. The king had his best doctor examine her and they determined it was nothing but one day flu. Unfortunately for the princess, she was told by the doctor that she needed bed rest and could not leave her room to ensure that she got better. She was not well enough to meet the young boy for the first time ever. Clutching the coin she received from him she hoped that he would be alright._

_The next morning she woke to a large commotion coming from the grand hall. Having spent the previous day in bed she felt well enough to get up and see what was wrong. As soon as she made it downstairs she saw what was happening. Her best friend, the young boy, was in handcuffs and was placed before the king._

_“Why has this peasant been placed before me?” Asked the king to his guards._

_“Your highness this man has been caught stealing food and clothes from the royal kitchen and laundry.”_

_“You dare steal from me! The king of this land! What say you in your defense?” The king bellowed with a voice that echoed through the room._

_“Have you ever been out there?” The boy asked._

_“Excuse me?”_

_“Have you ever lived out there? Have you ever stepped down from your pedestal long enough to see the suffering you've caused? There are children out there that starve every day because you want to line your pockets with a few more strands of silk! So yeah I stole the food and the clothes. I'm not sorry about it either. How can I be when you have abandoned everyone who put you into the position you are today? Unlike the rest of the people out there I'm not willing to give up life just because of the class I was born into. I'm the owner of my own life and there is nothing you can say or do about it.”_

_The king’s face was red as he held in his anger. “Remove him from my sight. Let's see how long he lasts in the dungeon.”_

_The princess cried out silently, knowing that there was nothing she could do to save him. That's when an idea popped into her head. A way she could save him under the cover of night. All she would have to do is wait._

_Under the cover of darkness the princess made her way through the halls, avoiding the guards and traps, until she reached the dungeon. Silently taking the keys from the sleeping warden’s desk she made her way through the prison cells to find where her best friend was being held. She scoured the halls until she could see a cell at the very end of a hallway that held his silhouette in the moonlight that was peering through the window. Reaching his cell she fumbled with the keys and alerted him to her presence._

_“What do you think you're doing?” He said in a yelled whisper. “Why would you of all people be trying to help me?” The princess was offended that he would act that way until she remembered that he never knew that she was the princess. She remembered his gift to her and pulled out the coin. The boy’s eyes grew wide as a smile spread across his face. He grabbed her suddenly and hugged her tightly through the bars separating them. They remained there for a minute, each thankful that the other was safe. The princess then freed her companion and they began running through the halls. Grabbing his hand she tried to make it to the hole in the wall to which he could escape._

_They were almost there, they almost escaped. Almost. Everything was going according to plan. That is until they turned around the final corner. The princess suddenly ran into something. Stepping back she looked at what she had ran into in fear. It was her father: the king. He wore a quizzical expression until he saw the boy right behind her. His face turned red with anger and raised his hand to hit her. She flinched and prepared for the hit that she had received many times. That's when she felt herself being pushed out of the way. Looking to her side she saw the boy take the hit meant for her. His body was flung backwards and hit the wall where he then laid crumpled on the floor. The princess in a hurry grabbed the boy and slung him over her shoulder. She turned back at her father still steaming with rage._

_“Why?! Why would you help this peasant?! He's not worth the dirt on his face!” The king bellowed._

_“Why? Because he was right. There are people out there who are suffering due to forces beyond their control. Those forces may be beyond their control but are not beyond yours.”_

_The king, unable to hold in his anger any longer, jumped forward to tackle her. She ran forward and slid underneath where he was suspended in mid-jump and kept on running. She made it to the hole and was able to slide herself and the boy through right before the king’s arm appeared trying to pull them back. The princess ran towards the edge of the town and set the boy down. She fell over from exhaustion and was surprised to see the boy smiling over her._

_“What? You were awake?”_

_“I woke up half way down.”_

_“Why didn't you say anything?”_

_“You seemed pretty occupied at the moment.”_

_They laughed as the boy helped her up. After a large hug the boy pulled away. He looked straight into her eyes with sorrow and grasped her hand tight. “I'm sorry but I have to go.” He said._

_“B-But why?”_

_“I'm a wanted man. If they get their hands on me I'll be sentenced to death.”_

_Now in tears the princess said “But you can't leave! You're my best and only friend! The only one who saw me for me and not as a princess!”_

_“I don't want to leave. If I could stay I would. I don't want you to think that I'm giving up on what we have. I'm not. That's why I'm not saying goodbye. I promise you that we will see each other again. I promise.”_

_“And you'll just leave everything behind? What about the other kids? What about what we have?”_

_“The children have already evacuated and are waiting on me to join them. But look at me.” He said holding her face to look straight into his. “This is not the end. We will see each other again. The armies of both heaven and hell could not stop me from making this promise true. So don't cry. I'll make sure we see each other soon.”_

_“Okay…” She pulled him in and connected their lips together. The kiss was brief but that is all it needed to be. “Just make sure I don't wait too long.”_

_“I promise.”_

That was it. There was no more ending. It just ended with that. Ruby was already choked up and was holding back her tears as much as she could. Not because of the story’s ending, however open its ending may be, but because of what was underneath the story. It was a handwritten note on the end of the page. In a style of handwriting that she would recognize anywhere.

_Dear Ruby-_

_Sometimes life can get in the way of the things that are most dear to it. Sometimes when two people fall in love, life makes it difficult to keep it. But never let that deter you. When you find that special someone, and I know you will, just because the odds are against you doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive for it. It just means that you should work harder for it. Life won't make things perfect and you'll go through some rough times. This is a fact with everybody. There will be pain and there will be suffering and sometimes it will seem like life is out to make everything fail. What some people don't realize though is that it's worth it. Many just give up and quit. They miss out on more than anyone else. Because isn't it worth it for all that pain to blossom into something more beautiful? So don't ever give up no matter what others say. Just follow your heart and when everything turns out alright, you'll know it was worth it all along._

_-Love Mom._

Ruby could not help it anymore. The silent tears started to fall when she began reading the note and they were now a steady faucet. She closed the book and pressed it up tight against her. “Thank you.” She whispered. It was almost as if she could feel her mother’s arms wrap around her, comforting her. The book smelled like summer roses and memories of her mother reading bedtime stories flooded back to her. Happy memories, ones of a carefree child who was blissfully ignorant of the horrors of the world. Ruby had woken up though. She was no longer transfixed in the dream that everything would be alright. The loss of her mother taught her that. Now it was trying to repeat that lesson with Cobalt. 

Ruby wiped away her tears and tried to push all this to the side. She needed to be strong. She needed to be optimistic and positive. She had others who counted on her to be. She was a leader and has to put her suffering aside for their sake. She had Yang, Blake, Weiss and Cobalt who relied on her to be their sunshine to light up their day. 

Especially Cobalt. She had been noticing changes in his behavior recently. Whenever she was with him then he was as happy and uplifting as she was. It was the times that she was not there that concerned her. He was getting more and more dismal every day. Bags were starting to appear under his eyes and schoolwork became an obsession, almost like an escape. He climbed to the top of the charts academically but he was breaking apart in the process. It was like what happened to Blake but worse. Whenever she would ask what was wrong he would always say “Nothing's wrong Ruby. Don't you worry your pretty little head.” She could tell that he was lying through his teeth. Something was very wrong but he would not tell her what it was. She knew that she was helping him because it was only around her that he was calm. She was reminding him almost daily now that he could talk to her about anything. Now he was flinching when she said that. 

Then he had to go sacrifice himself for her. He had to put his life on the line to save her own. Her mother was right about life seemingly trying to make everything fail. She never even got to say “thank you” to him. Or if worst comes to worst “goodbye”.

She remembered what an old, wise man once said. Nobody knew quite who said it but legend has it that it has been around since the dawn of Remnant. “Keep moving forward.” And she would do just that. She would continue to live on for Cobalt. If he did die then he would not want her to waste away in mourning. He would want her to keep living life to the fullest and never looking back.

A small whistle sounded off in the room. It was rather quiet but in the self-imposed silence it sounded like she had dropped a stack of large plates shattering everywhere. After checking that everyone was still asleep she looked at her scroll and turned the volume completely off. There was a new message. It was a text from a hidden number.

_“Cobalt is going to be alright. You can talk to him now if you want. I would hurry though because his drugs will be kicking in again soon.”_

As identification the sender only used one symbol, one character. 

_“-N”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I first wrote this chapter around the anniversary of Monty Oum's death so I found it only suitable to add a little touch of his into it. This chapter is dedicated to Monty Oum. May he forever live on in our hearts. You will be missed. "Keep Moving Forward."


	25. Heartaches and Headaches

Ruby silently shut the door behind her. She was surprised that it was unlocked but that made everything a lot easier. She turned around to see Roman lying in his bed with tubes hooked up to his arms. Ruby walked over to his bedside and looked down at him. The sight was gut wrenching. What once was the strong and active Cobalt was now a pale, thin frame lying unconscious in a bed. The darkness combined with the moonlight made his skin glow white, almost the same shade as his thick bandage covering his wound. She breathed out a pained sigh. Whoever this “N” was, they were either pulling a prank or they were right and his medicine kicked in. She stood there for a few minutes, stroking his hair and looking for signs of movement. She eventually gave up and leaned over to kiss him goodbye. As soon as her lips made contact with his she felt him return the kiss. 

“AHHHH!” She yelled as she jumped back and ran into a cart full of medical equipment. Barely able to stop it from falling she turned back to face him, still shaken up over him scaring her like that.

His eyes were open and looked glassy from the glare of the moon. “It's about time.” He muttered weakly.

“But I thought-? What happened to-? You were-? How did you-?”

“Ruby I know that we're still in school but you should be at a point that you don't need to be taught how to make a complete sentence.” His voice was soft and shaky, as if it hurt for him to speak.

“Cobalt! You're alright!” She said as she ran forward to hug him. Wrapping her arms around him she felt his entire body flinch as he breathed in sharply. Immediately releasing him she backed away and said “Sorry! I'm so sorry.”

After taking some deep breaths he replied “No it's not your fault. You didn't know. I should've warned you.”

Ruby remained at his bedside feeling tears arise even after trying her best to hold them in. She grabbed the sheets and clenched them in her hands as she began to cry softly. “I-I-I thought I lost you. I thought that just when life gave you to me that it would snatch you away. I'm so, so sorry.”

Even with his voice naturally shaky, he was able to show his concern. He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Ruby don't worry. I'm not gone and I'm not leaving. It's going to take a lot more than this to kill me.”

“But you almost bled to death!”

He replied with his signature smirk. “Pfft, you think this is the first time I've almost done that? It's happened so many times now that it's almost becoming natural.”

“That's not a good thing!”

“Relax Ruby I'm just trying to lighten the mood.”

“You can't though. I was preparing myself to accept the possibility that you were dead. Do you have any idea how scared I was?”

After a brief pause he responded with his joking tone having left and been replaced by a tone of seriousness. “I do. I've had my life saved before by others taking the blow I should've received. Some survived and some didn't. So yes I completely understand the fear that the person who placed your life above their own would never wake up. I know it all too well.”

“But why? Why did you have to run in and do this?”

“Why? I think the answer should be obvious. If I could go back in time I would do exactly what I did. I would do it over and over again as many times as I'd need to. You mean too much to me to see you in pain.”

“But I've been collapsing from the inside out in worry and fear that you were gone. This is pain!”

“Yes but look at it this way. I'd prefer to have you standing over me scowling me for my actions than me possibly standing over a gravestone and scowling at myself.”

“I could've survived. If I took the hit I could've survived.” 

“The same with me. I took the blow meant for you and look at me now.” He said raising only his hands for a gesture with his arms almost immobile from wires and tubes. “I survived. But yet I could have just as easily died. It's better to not let the ‘What if?’s tie you down. What happened, happened and the rest is history. Besides it is a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

Ruby tried to cover her face with her free hand to stop the steady flow of tears. “I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. If it wasn't for me and my dumb comment then you would've never been in this mess.”

“Ruby this is not your fault. It's Cardin's fault for damaging my beautiful face, not yours. Besides I was egging him on. If he did not throw it at you I was naturally going to be his target. I don't want you blaming yourself for this. You're far too sweet and innocent for that.”

“How? How can you forgive me so easily?”

“Because you've done nothing wrong.”

“Yes I have.”

“No you haven't.”

“Yes l-”

“No you-”

“Yes.”

“No.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes-”

“Ruby if I was able to move I would kiss you just to get you to shut up. You are not responsible for anybody's actions. You are not at fault.”

That got a small chuckle out of her. “Since you can't move I'll move for you.” She said as she leaned down to kiss him again. This kiss was different from many of their previous ones. Ruby was pushing forward all of her feelings of affection as well as her thankfulness of his safety into one fiery, passionate kiss. 

The kiss finally breaking Cobalt said slyly “Wow. Perhaps I should jump in front of melee weapons more often?”

“Please don't.”

“It was a joke.”

“I know but it was a little soon. Say Cobalt what-”

“Ruby I want to hear your question, really I do, but I've got a small problem.”

“What's wrong?”

“I can feel the morphine kicking in and my time remaining conscious is likely less than thirty seconds.”

“Oh. Well thank you for saving me. It means a lot.”

“It was nothing. This is nothing compared to what you've done for me. I should be the one thanking you.” He said making her blush and look away to hide it.

“Cobalt… Look I… I think I lov-” She began to say as she looked back over at him to see him fast asleep. “It can wait for another time. Sleep well Cobalt. I hope you get better soon.” She said as she leaned down and softly kissed his forehead. She backed away to the door and with one hand on the doorknob, she looked back and smiled. Smiling out of relief that he was not going to be taken away, at least not yet. That's all she could really ask for. Now came the hardest part of her adventure: how was she going to leave undetected?

* * *

Cobalt woke up to see sunlight peering into his eyes. He tried lifting his arm to block out the light he saw several tubes protruding from his arm and hand. He then remembered the conversation he had with Ruby earlier that morning. He wished that it could have lasted longer but his pain meds worked much faster than he thought they would. Ruby really sounded like she had something important to tell him too. Someone brought down the shades and he was able to properly see who it was. “Neo! You decided to check up on little old me.”

_[Why’d you do it?]_

“Excuse me?”

_[Why did you have to go and almost kill yourself?!]_

“I was in the mood.”

_[Roman.]_

“Neo.”

_[Can you be serious?]_

“Depends. What's in it for me?”

_[You be serious and I might consider wiping your medical files so that way they can't connect your blood samples required for the transfusions to crime scene evidence.]_

That got him to sit up. “Serious it is then. But first I have a question for you. What was Ruby doing here last time I was awake?”

_[Oh I don't know maybe visiting her boyfriend who took a weapon to the face.]_

“No, I'm talking about the circumstances of the visit. How did she know to come when I was awake?”

_[I don't know. Lucky timing I guess.]_

“Neo…”

_[Are you suggesting that I had something to do with that?]_

“What?! No! No I would never in a million years suggest that you were directly and completely responsible.”

_[I had nothing to do with that, alright? Get off my back.]_

“Your middle finger says otherwise.”

_[What? I'm not flipping you off?]_

“You type using only your middle finger when you're lying. I thought we've already gone over this.” She must have forgotten about that conversation years ago as she then proceeded to punch and kick the air to vent her anger while staying absolutely silent the entire time. “I love charades! Let's see it's a movie that's three words long…”

_[Will you shut up?!]_

“All you had to do was ask.”

_[Why did you have to run in front of her?]_

“You answer my question and I'll answer yours.”

_[Alright fine. I messaged her to come see you. I didn't know what your mental state would be coming out of all this and I know you are the most stable with her around. I thought that it would be best for the first person you wake up to would be her.]_

“I thank you for that… It was nice… Were you watching us while we conversed?”

_[No I decided to give you two a little privacy.]_

“Unnatural but welcome.”

_[Back to my question. What were you thinking when you ran in front of her?]_

“Ding ding ding! That's the word. ‘Thinking’. I was not thinking at all, that's why.”

_[This is so unlike you. Yes you've put others before yourself before but nothing this dangerous. You need to be serious with me. Explain to me why you would do this.]_

Cobalt sighed and then spoke up again. “I did it for her. I can't bear the thought of her being hurt when I could've done something about it. There just wasn't enough time. There wasn't enough time to come up with another solution. I did what I could with resources I had available.”

_[Did you even consider the risks? If you died from this our whole operation would've crumbled to the ground! Think about all of the people who have sacrificed their time, money and lives to save your own so you could do what they couldn't! They believed that you could change things and you were willing to throw it all away for what?! To save some stupid little girl!]_

“ENOUGH!” He responded much louder than he intended. He made sure to take a few deep breaths before he spoke again. “Did I not do the same with you?”

_[How **dare** you compare the two of us?! I'm nothing like her!]_

“That's an understatement.” He muttered under his breath.

_[Can you just cut the crap and take me seriously?! I get that this playing around is kind of your thing but this is important!]_

“Alright, I'm all ears.”

_[Thank you.]_ Neo then paused as she realized what he had just said. Looking over slowly at him she saw him with a wide grin on his face. _[You’re a real piece of shit you know that right?]_

“I try.”

_[Look Roman you're a natural leader. You're able to demonstrate what's possible and inspire others. You've been doing this for years to work towards our goals. We've both spent far too much time, money and resources into this for you to just go off yourself. Zero hour is coming but you've been the one who has making this dream become reality. You've dreamed of this since before we even met. You owe it to yourself and all of those who have left us to see it through to the end.]_

“I know. Trust me Neo I know.” He said gaining a somber tone.

_[Okay. Just keep all of that in mind. You make me worry sometimes.]_

“Why is that?”

_[Oh I don't know maybe because you’re a grown man who acts like a child.]_

“I just never let my imagination die. Can you really blame me for that? Now what's the real reason?”

_[You’re changing Roman. I don't know whether for good or for bad, but you're changing nonetheless. I just don't want to wake up one day and see someone that I don't know wearing your face.]_

“You don't have to worry about that. I'm still me.”

Her eyes turned cold when she typed _[Are you sure about that? Have you noticed how your aura hasn't kicked in yet? It doesn't recognize you anymore.]_

The idea of such a thing sent shivers down his spine. “That's absurd! Of course it does. It's my aura.”

_[Really? Do you have any other explanation for this irregularity?]_

“Not at the moment, no.” He admitted.

_[If you can come up with something tell me. Otherwise keep what I said in mind. Anyways here you go.]_ Neo typed just before she sent him a message to his scroll. _[We’ve got more work to do.]_

“Goddamn it. What do I have to do this time?”

_[You’re not doing anything. I'm going on this alone.]_

“Why?”

_[You have to remain at school. Something about an Atlas student almost dying worries people and if you were to go missing then that would make the situation a lot worse.]_

“My severity of rejection is dependent upon the details of the mission. Now just how risky is it?”

_[Read the message yourself.]_

“I can't really do that right now. I'm in a hospital bed in hospital clothes with no pockets. Even if I did have it on me in my school clothes then it would have been already shipped back to my room. Besides if you somehow ‘lifted’ it off of them then once again, no pockets. I won't be able to hide it.”

_[You’re getting released tonight. You can work on it then.]_

“I am? That's news to me. Anyways I'll plan your little operation for you, as I assume that's what you wanted. You just have to do something for me. Take it as a cost of the work I'll put into this and as a fee for not letting me tag along.”

_[Tread carefully Roman.]_

“I want a pack of cigars.”

_[Really?]_

“You have yet to experience what it is like going through nicotine withdrawal. These past few weeks have been torturous on the nerves. Yes really.”

_[Alright. One pack it is. Just send me the plans by tomorrow night.]_ She typed right before she made her way to the door.

“Neo before you go I have something to ask of you.”

_[Alright spill it.]_

“Please don't worry about me? I'll be right back up before you know it, just you wait.”

_[I hope so Roman. I hope so.]_

Once the door closed behind her his smile was wiped away from his face. She had every right to be worried about him. She probably should be but he could not let her know that. Not after she threatened to withdraw him. He let out a deep sigh to try to ease his headache. His head was hurting already. Not from the impact he took but from a sickening realization. He had lost another person he could confide in.


	26. Cinnamon and Roses

“What the hell am I looking at?” Asked Cobalt with a contorted quizzical expression.

Ruby by his side responded much too eagerly for Cobalt’s comfort. “It's a punching bag. It's a bag that you punch back and then it swings back at you for you to punch again.”

“No I got that. I'm talking about why is there a picture of my-” He started to say before he began a self-induced coughing fit.

“Cobalt are you alright?”

“Just dandy. Why is there a life size picture of Torchwick on the punching bag?”

“It's for inspiration and a way for Blake to vent anger.” She said enthusiastically.

“That sure is comforting.”

“I know! Now we can build confidence fighting him!”

He muttered under his breath “Sarcasm Ruby. You'll need to learn someday.” Returning his voice to normal volume he asked “Can you please explain to me why he's in that pose?”

“What pose?”

“That one right there. He's winking at me.”

“That's so none of us fall for his suave expressions. Anyways it's your turn.”

“What do you mean it's my turn?”

“It's your turn to punch the punching bag.”

After staring at it intently for five seconds he said “You know I'd rather not.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. I just feel very uncomfortable with the thought of this.”

“Come on just punch it. Release all that frustration and slug him.”

“But look at his expression. It's as if he's saying ‘if you hurt my face, you won't have one left to comment about your own’.”

“Just punch him already.”

“No no no no. You're teaching him wrong.” Said Yang walking over to where they stood. “You just got to aim low and hit hard.” She said as she gave a low blow hitting the crotch of the picture hard enough that it broke the chain and sent the bag flying. While the bag went flying so too did Cobalt as he jumped backwards and yelped an octave higher than his normal tone.

“Gets them every time.” Yang said putting her hands behind her head and walking back over to another area of the room.

“She can be scary sometimes.” He said nervously.

“Yeah that's Yang for you. I guess we'll skip punching practice today then. Come on, follow me.” She said as she began to stroll to the other side of the room.

“So why have you brought me here again?” Asked Cobalt looking around at the strange room. It was rather large and held many students he recognized and many he did not. It looked more like a boxing training room than an actual headquarters of operations. 

“You said you would join our club dedicated to bringing down Torchwick.”

“I said nothing of the sort. I said that I would think about it.”

“Which means you were thinking about what you could do to help once you joined.”

“Why do I even bother?” He said face palming himself. “How did you even get Ozpin to give you this room for this surprisingly large club?”

“I asked him nicely.” She said with a grin.

With a small smile he responded “You know what I meant.”

“He said that this room was not in use and as long as we clean up after ourselves then we can use it whenever we want. With your little speech that you gave we've had more people wanting to join than we thought possible. That's why we need so much room.”

“Me and my big mouth huh. So where are you taking me exactly?”

“To the table of strategy! Away we go!” She yelled as she ran ahead of him. He chuckled slightly as he was once again reminded of her young and childlike nature. It was like a breath of fresh air, something to get away from the doom and gloom he had been used to. Following behind he eventually made it to a table that had Blake and Jaune gathered around it.

“So what did you want to show me here?”

“We're trying to figure out where he'll strike next so that way we can have a patrol on site or nearby.”

“That's an awfully difficult task. Do you have any progress?”

“Not really. We've been running patrols and stakeouts on a regular basis but he hasn't done anything since Atlas. Do you have any ideas?”

“Well let's hear what the rest have to say. Jaune, Blake, do either of you have any ideas?” He asked gesturing to the others standing at the table.

Jaune pointed at the pins marked on a large map of Vale that was spread out over the entire table. “We've marked all of the locations that he's robbed in the last six months as well as the regular patrols we send out. Unfortunately any pattern he used to have is gone.”

Blake continued what he said by saying “His dust robberies have stopped. In fact there have been no dust robberies since the art museum incident. While there has still been the natural small crime that occurs, there has been no sign of his doing since the Atlas incident and no pattern to follow. We don't have very much to go off of.”

_“Oh this is just too easy. I now have access to all of their operations from the inside. I can have some fun with this.”_ He thought. Clearing his throat he spoke up and said “If I may I would like to brainstorm out loud? Are you alright with that?”

“Umm… Sure?” Said Ruby.

“Excellent.” He began to stroll around the table, talking to all of them but not at anyone in particular. “The way I see it this is just like the murder mysteries that I used to read. There's always clues left behind. Considering he has only committed two crimes since his mysterious drop off of dust robberies we don't have much to go off of. One thing that we can almost say for certain is that we don't have to worry about missing dust anymore.”

“Why's that? What makes you so sure that he won't rob any more dust shipments?” Asked Ruby.

“Theatrics that's why. Haven't you noticed anything particular about his recent two actions? He's not out for small fry anymore. He's a criminal mastermind and one of the best strategists in the world. He wants big jobs now. A random dust robbery would be a downgrade, an insult to his skills. He needs something large, something extraordinary to sate his desire for justice.”

“His desire for justice?!” Exclaimed Blake in an angry rejection. “He's a criminal responsible for the deaths of innocent people! What justice could he possibly be dishing out?!”

“I know it sounds odd but just hear me out. If one is to take down a criminal then one must think like a criminal. Fortunately for us I can do that quite well. But yes justice. Think about this. Dust is expensive. It is a commodity that is necessary for practically everything now. It's because of this that it is so expensive. The Schnee Dust Company has an almost complete monopoly over the dust trade and has the rights to charge whatever they want for it. Some people though find their outrageous prices rightfully outrageous. And what's the number one rule of the economic system?”

“Where there is supply there's demand.” Said Jaune as his eyes lit up, seeing where he was going with this.

“We have a winner. Now with a demand for cheap dust then there has to be a supply. Who provides that supply?”

“The black market.” Said Ruby catching on as well.

“Exactly. As you can imagine a supplier of dust for the black market can make a large amount of money quickly. Yet the largest supplier has no longer been making robberies. Why do you all suppose that? Why would a criminal such as Torchwick suddenly stop his most profitable course of action?”

“He has enough and doesn't need to steal anymore?” Guessed Ruby.

“He has enough money to continue his operations without having to rely on dust?” Hypothesized Jaune.

“Yes and no. Crime is not just a one-time thing. For someone like Torchwick it's a career. Even with all the money he has I doubt that he would stop because he wanted to retire. As we've seen from the two crimes he's committed since then he most certainly did not. What about you Blake? You haven't said anything for a while.”

“I still don't understand how this is all for ‘justice’. You've yet to explain that.” She said glaring at him.

“I'm getting there just be patient.”

“You just like to hear yourself talk.” Said Blake crossing her arms.

“I have no comment for your last statement so I will ignore it and move on. Torchwick has stopped stealing dust because his goals no longer involve money. He has enough money, power and resources to go out and on his own vendetta. He's doing all of this on theology now. With that in mind what patterns are out there? Who is he targeting?”

“Governments. He's trying make the governments look like villains. That villain.” Said Ruby.

“Exactly. Every one of his crimes are now making international news for bringing something held secret by governments up to public eye. He's trying to make them look like they've been plotting against their own citizens. What better motive than revenge? If the governments have crossed him in some way, which surely by now they have, he could very well be doing this for some twisted form of justice. A way for him to get back at those who've wronged him.”

“It almost sounds like you support him. Could you explain that?” Blake in an interrogative tone.

“Listen all I'm doing is trying to think like he does. Little phrasing techniques can easily be mistaken as bias when you're trying to act and think like another person.”

“So if all of this is for some deformed use of revenge then what does that mean for us? How is anything that you said going to help?"

“You're trying to figure out where he'll strike next right? It's all there in the patterns. He's begun some mission to cause as much havoc for not just the government here but for every kingdom. First was Vale, next was Atlas and I'll eat my gloves if the next place he strikes is one of the other two kingdoms. That's my point. We can't stop him. When his activities are involving international affairs we don't have the power to take him down.”

“So we'll send people to the other kingdoms! Anything to stop him!”

“Blake…” Began Ruby with a tone of concern. “...We can't do that.”

“Yes we can! All we need is some money and-”

Ruby interrupted by putting her hand on Blake’s shoulder. “No we can't. We should be fortunate that we have as many resources as we do now. I’m sorry but we don't have the kind of power to do that. You're starting to do what you did before the dance. You promised us that you would take care of yourself.”

While the two of them were arguing over Blake's health, on the other side of the table Cobalt leaned his head in to whisper to Jaune “What happened before the dance?”

“Oh Blake just became over-stressed that's all. She got all worked up over Torchwick being with the White Fang.”

“How did that end?”

“Yang took care of that. I accidentally walked in on them having-”

At that very moment Yang appeared out of nowhere with a hand clasped around Jaune’s mouth. “A slumber party. We were having a slumber party. Isn't that right Jaune?” She said holding back evident anger. 

Both Cobalt and Jaune saw the red of her eyes and while Jaune was nodding like a maniac Cobalt decided that it was time for him to leave. “Well that's enough strategy for one night. I better get going; you know lots of assignments and whatnot.”

“Aw, you have to go already?” Asked Ruby.

Glancing back at the surely doomed Jaune, Cobalt said “I'm afraid so. I'll talk to you all later.” He made a hasty retreat and thought over his actions on the way back into his room. 

_“Well that did not end the way I had planned. So Yang and Blake, hmm. Neo is not going to be happy about this. At least I got to see their map. I now know when any of them will be patrolling and who will be doing said patrolling. It won't help with Neo’s operation tomorrow night but that doesn't matter too much. I know enough to not let anything interfere._

_Perhaps I gave them a bit too much insight as to how I plan things? Whether or not they decrease their involvement now is up to them. Even if they don't, they now see me as a potential strategist which means more access to their operations. This is the kind of information that Cinder is looking for. Yet why do I feel bad about knowing all this information? Why am I feeling Ruby’s morals again? Are they Ruby’s… Or my own?”_

* * *

“So what was that with Jaune?” Asked Ruby. They were all together in an abandoned building on a stakeout that Blake demanded. They were watching over several possible targets for crimes and while it was first exciting Ruby was now bored. Blake was up another floor watching out the window intently while Yang, Weiss and Ruby were resting on the floor below by a campfire. The question had been on Ruby’s mind but they needed to pass some time so she thought that she might as well ask it.

“What did he do this time?” Asked Weiss in resignation.

“Nothing.” Replied Yang a little too quickly. Ruby could see Weiss squinting at her sister, trying to study her.

“He didn't. He couldn't have. He almost let that slip! That dolt.”

Ruby not knowing what was going on decided to bring attention back to her question. “I'm so confused right now.”

“Don't worry Rubes. We're just having a little fun.” Yang replied.

“A lot of fun you were having huh?” Replied Weiss with a smirk.

“Yeah I have no idea what's going on.” Said Ruby with a confused glare towards her sister who seemed to be in rage.

“So Ruby anything new with you?” Yang asked a little too eagerly.

Deciding to drop her question Ruby went along with Yang’s topic change. “Not too much.”

“Oh come on. What's with you and this Cobalt guy? I mean you practically dragged him to the club meeting.”

Before Ruby could say anything Weiss interjected and said “Yang I know you're trying to change the topic but could you at least have put some more thought into it? Do you remember what Ruby told us? All she was trying to do was help him adapt to Beacon and what did he do in response? He flipped out and called her a whore!”

“Yeah.” Ruby said looking down. She felt guilty for having to lie to her friends but that was the best thing that she could come up with to tell her team. She needed to keep her relationship with Cobalt secret and as a cover up she told them a fake story where he said some mean things to her. She must have put on quite a show because she could not sense any of them doubting her story. “I thought it would be good if he joined the club because of his little speech he did. Without meaning to he made a lot of others motivated to join. I thought that it could be a kind of a boost for our new recruits.”

“Alright but you seemed to be having a pretty good time with him.” Suggested Yang.

“Well sometimes you just need to forgive and forget. I think he means well, he just doesn't always do well.”

“He did run in front of you to prevent you from being hit by Cardin.” Brought up Weiss. After a brief pause she asked “Ruby, how much do you remember from that incident?”

Ruby began thinking to herself. She remembered what her own actions were. How in her fear and desperation she forgot that she was not supposed to acknowledge him. Fear had overtaken her and overruled all other emotions and logical reasoning. She sure messed up with that one. “I remember what I did. I don't remember what anyone else did though.”

Yang spoke up and said “Well I almost killed Cardin so that's all in a good day's work. He could've killed you and that is not something that I will forgive or forget soon.” 

“Ruby, what was that?” Asked Weiss.

“What do you mean?”

“How you reacted to what Cobalt did. Words can't describe how sorry I am for doing what I did. I just want to know why. Why did we have use such extreme measures? What happened to you?”

Ruby brought her head down, unable to face either of her teammates. She knew why. She knew why all too well. No matter what answer she told them it would be painful. So she just sat there and wrapped her cloak around her tighter. It gave her a comforting snug feeling. In a way it was as if someone was wrapping their arms around her, telling her that everything would be alright.

“Ruby please answer me? I feel horrible for having to do that to you and I'm sure that there is a logical reason behind all this but you have to tell me. What is it?”

Ruby looked up to see her partner’s eyes soften with the question. That gaze was hurting her. It was painful because she knew that Weiss was hurting and wanted to tell her. If the situation was different Ruby would have told her in a heartbeat. Unfortunately it was not. No matter what she did there was no winning in this. She brought her hood up and wrapped her cloak around her as tight as it could be. In the corner she was sitting in she rested her head against the wall bringing her hood right up to her face. Combined with her natural scent of roses it also smelled like cinnamon, just like Cobalt. She closed her eyes and her mind drifted back to their time alone together underneath the tree. They spent the entire time there cuddling and holding each other close while they would lightly doze. Just him being there next to her always felt comforting and she could tell that she had the same effect on him.

“Ruby? Please tell me?” Weiss asked in a hushed whisper. 

That was the final straw. Ruby wanted to tell them. She wanted to scream it off the top of her lungs. That she was scared. That she was afraid that she would be left behind. Ruby had never quite gotten over her mother’s passing. Ruby hid it well but she always felt a hollow since that day. She was afraid that if she opened to much then that person she would be herself to would leave. When Yang stepped up to fill the shoes of her mother Ruby was then forced to play the part of the young and innocent child. Her role was then made concrete and she felt like she was trapped in a box. 

Then she met Cobalt. She knew that he was acting like an egotistical ass but she could see past that though. Why was she the only one to do so? Ruby had thought about that long and hard. Her best guess at the moment was because she was like him. She tried to act optimistic and overzealous all the time so nobody would pry too deep. Cobalt was just the same way, only his methods of concealment were what set him apart. In a way while helping him she was helping herself. She had never intended for them to become anything more than friends. She just wanted to be able to help someone not be afraid to be who they were. The person she found though ended up stealing her heart. Ruby was finally recovering, finally being able to be herself and open up to others. She knew that it could end up hurting her but she would at least then have Cobalt to go to if things were bad. She was in a state of peace that she had not felt in years.

Then came the incident with Cardin. Seeing Cobalt lying in front of her, bleeding out, with the fact that there was nothing that she could do was gut wrenching. She had finally found someone to which she could be herself with and in a split second decision they valued her life above their own. The one person who was piecing her back together had been about to leave and shatter a hole greater than the one she originally had. Her fear that she was going to be left alone again had ruled her. It mixed with her soul, her very being. She was afraid that life would take away whoever she loved, even herself.

By this point Ruby could not speak if she wanted to. All of her words were caught in her throat with no way out. She opened her mouth to speak but instead of words the only thing that left her mouth was a sorrowful cry. She closed her eyes to stop any tears from forming but soon lost that battle. She felt arms wrap around her and her sister speak softly. “Rubes it's alright. If you need to let it out then go ahead. If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're willing to wait as long as it takes.” 

“I can't do anything right. I'm sorry I made you think of something I shouldn't have.” Said a depressed Weiss.

“It's… Not… Your… Fault…” Ruby was barely able to get out. “I'm… Sorry… About… Everything…”

“Ruby there's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong. Weiss you didn't do anything wrong. None of you did anything wrong. Sometimes bad things just happen. There's nothing wrong with coming to someone for help.”

“I'm sorry.” Ruby muttered.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“No it's just… I've been thinking about mom recently.”

“Just hush now. I'm here and everything is going to be alright. Come on let's go. It's late and when you're upset and tired things never end well.” She walked over to the stairwell and yelled up at Blake. “Blake get down here we're leaving!”

“We can't leave yet. We still have this post to cover.”

“I don't care. We're leaving and if you want to stay here all night then go ahead. Ruby, Weiss and I are going to go get some sleep.” With that Yang walked back to Ruby and helped her up. Ruby knew that Yang was right that she should get some rest. Her worry for Cobalt had kept her up much too late the previous few nights and the exhaustion was starting to get to her. To her surprise she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Next thing Ruby knew was that she was now riding on Yang’s back piggyback style.

“Yang I'm not a little kid anymore!” Ruby yelled as she tried to escape but to no avail. 

“You're still my little baby sister and you always will be. Now stop fighting me and just enjoy the ride.”

“YANG!” 

All Yang would do was laugh at Ruby’s feeble attempts of resistance. At a certain point Ruby just gave up and rested herself on her sister's back. Ruby decided that she would fake being asleep to see if she could listen in on anything that Yang and Weiss say to one another.

At a certain point while pretending to be asleep Ruby actually fell asleep as the next thing she knew was her being pushed into bed and covers being placed over her. She was able to hear a little bit of their whispered conversation before falling asleep again.

“Do you think that she will be alright?” She heard Weiss ask.

“She'll be alright. She's one tough cookie. It's going to take a lot more than this to beat her.”

“Just how do I keep messing things up? I didn't want to do that to her. I had no choice. I feel like she doesn't trust me now.”

“Weiss you're overthinking it. Ruby doesn't hold anything against you. Trust me I can tell. She's just a bit shaky after the whole Cobalt thing. I would be too if I was in her shoes. Just give her some time. I'm sure she'll be fine.”

“Alright. But what is it with her and Cobalt? It seems like she's treating him like they're best friends or something.”

“I believe that's just her way of saying thank you. Don't worry about those two. Whenever he's around her I'm watching them like a hawk. If he does anything funny then I'll put him in the same place as I did Cardin. I don’t care if he has a scar that looks like his face was split open or not. Anyway, I suggest that you get some sleep. We still have classes tomorrow.”

“Okay. One last thing though. What are we going to do about Blake? She's still at the stakeout now. I worry about her sometimes.”

“I don't know Weiss… I don't know… Good night.”

“Good night.”

Ruby was still in her day clothes but she did not really care at this point. All of her worries from past memories of her mother, to Blake, to school and to keeping everything with Cobalt hidden were tiring her out enough that she fell asleep before she could think of anything else.


	27. To Lose Everything

Cobalt was lying down on his bed watching the live footage of Neo’s mission from the camera he stuck on her without her knowing. He knew that she would be alright but her mission was no easy task. A little caution could go a long way. Everything was going smoothly; she had run into a few guards but nothing that she could not take care off. He was also thankful that she was using nonlethal tactics. Enough blood was about to be spilt, he did not need her to add any more to the body count. Taking down another guard she began what was going to be a long series of jumping across rooftops which was probably the safest thing they had planned. 

His mind began to drift to what he had recorded on a tape for her to drop at the scene. After all he could not let some mongrel take credit for a feat as spectacular as this. The problem was what he had to record. Normally he would love to put on a show but for the tape all he did was act. His feeling of guilt for his actions both current and past was growing greater by the day. He had long passed the point of not enjoying his job but he still had to act like he was. To do anything less would show weakness in Roman. He then cursed himself for doing it again. The lines between his real self and this “Cobalt” character were becoming so blurred that sometimes he actually viewed the number one most wanted man alive as someone else, as if that was the part he had to play and Cobalt was who he really was. 

His intent focus was interrupted by his screen broadcasting his accomplice disappearing to show someone calling. Putting his thumb on the scanner and calling his employer an offensive term for the password he answered. “What do you want?”

“Well someone seems down. Schoolwork being hard?” Said Cinder with mock concern.

“More or less. Now why did you call? It's never a good sign when you do.”

“Roman, Roman, Roman. Can't we ever just have a talk that doesn't involve work?”

“The day you do that is the day I'll eat my cane. Now if you don't mind I'm a bit busy at the moment so if we could wrap this up that would be lovely.”

“I know you're not busy Roman. I don't know what you're doing but I do know that you're not doing what you're supposed to.”

“That's what I always do. Breaking laws and rules and whatnot.”

“No Roman. I'm talking about why did you abandon your post?”

The room suddenly became quiet. “What?”

“You heard what I said.”

Cobalt felt his blood run cold. The venom in her voice was very evident and he had to choose his words very carefully. “Could you please explain what you mean?”

“I gave you the assignment to assassinate the King of Mistral but yet I see your GPS location is still in Vale. Care to explain?”

“Whoa! Before you start throwing accusations around let me explain. First of all you bugged me with a tracker! Second of all I was told that this mission was specifically for Neo and I was just supposed to plan it. She's on the mission now as we speak.”

After a short pause in which Cobalt thought that his heart would explode from how fast it was beating she spoke up again. “Very well. Why is only Neo going on the mission then?”

“She told me I needed some rest and I am really loving my vacation time I'm spending here with you.”

“You needed rest? Why?”

He silently cursed for letting that detail slip. “All of these assignments are beginning to become a real bother. I get a little tired sometimes and what is more relaxing than spending my time talking with you?”

“That's funny. Then why is it that I heard about a little accident in a cafeteria.”

He knew that his grave was already dug but he could not do anything about it. “Oh there's food fights and people tripping all over the place there. What kind of accident are you talking about?”

“We both know what I'm talking about. What I want to know is why. Why would you save the life of one of our enemies at the possible expense of your own?”

“Ah that. It's a wonderful thing called being undercover. You know, building up the trust of your enemies for information.”

“You almost died Roman. We need you here and working for us. We can't have you leave. Or do I need to make an example of that?”

“What are you getting at?” Asked Cobalt as his voice quivered.

“Oh poor Roman. The person that every time life gives you someone to care about it takes them away. It's really quite sad. Every time it has been out of your control. But this time it's not.”

“What do you mean by that?” He asked feeling his entire body shaking in anger and fear.

“Poor little Neo. If only you were there to help her she might make it out alive. Of course whether she lives or dies is up to you.

“Don't you dare hurt her!” He said in a feral growl. “I swear if you do I'll-”

“You'll do what Roman? What? Do you think that you can call on your little syndicate for help? If you haven't noticed most of them now work for me. Besides your friend Junior won't be of much help either.”

“I don't care! You can't hurt her!”

“Oh I can and I will. I'll make sure she dies slowly and painfully. I will make sure she screams and cries out for help that never is able to save her. I have no doubt that you would come after her. I'd keep her alive long enough that you would make it there. That's when I'd end her life. That way you can see her pain as she breathes her last breath. So that way you can watch the life leave her eyes just like countless others you've been unable to save.”

Cobalt was now on his knees with tears streaming from his eyes. He could hear his own shaky breaths as he tried to calm himself down. “Please.” He whispered. “Please don't. I'll do anything you ask, anything at all, just don't take her away from me. Please!”

“Oh I don't want to do this. I don't have to. It's out of my control as to whether or not this happens. It's in your hands now. You are loyal to me and me alone. I can't have you risking our operations on some trust building stunt. From now on you will report to me weekly about your actions and don't think about keeping details out or lying to me. I'll know. Or you could try if you want to find out if she bleeds white, brown and pink. I've always been curious about that.”

With a small click the call ended and video returned to Neo still jumping across rooftops. He stared at the ground in complete shock. He was frozen and if one flicked his head he would fall over like a statue. He felt trapped. Trapped inside a life he never wanted. Trapped inside a body that could feel so much pain. Trapped where any step down any road would be the one that broke him. 

He slowly got up from his spot and walked over to his desk that had his personal bag underneath. He was about to break quite a few rules imposed by himself and many others but he did not care. He knew it was a cheap way out but he could not help himself. As he held his flask of liquor to his lips he hoped that when he woke that he could forgive himself. With a chuckle he remembered an excuse he used to use almost every day. _“It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”_ Who knew that he would apply this phrase to asking himself for forgiveness?

* * *

Ruby was having trouble sleeping. After staying up late the previous night on the stakeout her sleeping cycle was broken and had to be realigned. That meant that she was probably going to be awake for a few more hours. She spent her time waiting for sleep to gently take her playing on her scroll and catching up on all of the latest news. To her surprise she received a message. Seeing that it was Cobalt made her worry instantly. During their time to themselves he seemed especially nervous about something. That and the fact that they agreed to never text one another unless absolutely necessary. 

The message read: _“Ruby do you think that you could come to my room for a minute? I just need someone to talk to.”_

She was worried and excited. She was happy that he was finally going to tell her what was wrong to stop bottling up his pain. She was worried because she knew that something very bad had to have happened to push him to his limit. With as much haste that one could muster while still remaining stealthy she crept out of her bed and out of her room. She made sure to take with her a small package of tissues to be prepared. She was not sure what state he would be in but she hated seeing him upset. If she could help him even a little then that would make her job a success.

She knocked on his door lightly. “Cobalt are you alright?” She asked with a little bit of fear evident in her voice.

“The door is unlocked. Go ahead and come on in.” She heard a muffled, cracked voice say.

Walking in she saw him sitting in one of his desk chairs with his back to her by the window. He was staring out at the moon which filled up the entire pane. His frame was sagging and he looked broken. She closed the door behind her and grabbed another one of the chairs and placed it right next to him. Sitting down she fumbled with her hands as she did not know what to say. Just as she was about to speak up she heard him speak. “Thank you. Thank you for coming. You don't realize how much this means to me.” 

“Cobalt?” She said as she cupped his cheek to make him face her. “Please tell me what's wrong.”

He responded with a small chuckle that sounded pained. “A better question would be to ask what isn't wrong.” To her surprise he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. His body was shaking and shivering. His voice came out as a harsh whisper. “I'm so scared. Everything's slipping through my fingers and I can't do anything.”

Ruby returned his embrace and said in the most calming voice she could “It's alright. I'm here for you.”

“That's what I'm afraid of!” He yelled as he burst out into tears. “Please, please just don't go. Everything is being taken away from me. Anything I care about is always ripped from my grasp. I'm about to lose my best friend. So please, I beg of you, don't let yourself be taken away! I don't know if I can take anymore!”

“Cobalt look at me.” She said pulling slightly away from him to look him in the eyes. “I'm not planning on going anywhere. I'm here for you and I always will be.”

“That's what they all say. I've heard so many others say the same thing and they were all taken away! I'm cursed. Anything I care for just withers and dies before my eyes.”

She began to hear him sniffle. “Cobalt here's a tissue.”

“Thank you. I needed one.” While blowing his nose she took a minute to notice something. There was a peculiar smell coming from him, one that she would recognize anywhere.

“Cobalt you know how I feel about you drinking.” 

“I'm sorry Ruby. I couldn't help it. It was a moment of weakness and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

Taking his hands and holding them in hers she said “Just please come to me before you do something like this. You need to understand that I'm here. I'm trying to help you as much as I can but I can only do so much when I don't know what's wrong.”

“What's wrong huh? I'm just trying to get ahold of the very real possibility that everything I care for will leave me. Just like it always has.”

“Then let's break that chain. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I'll make sure that I won't leave so you can have someone that you can care for without fearing that you'll lose me. I promise you that.”

He turned his face towards the moon and said “You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep.”

Looking at his face she saw the scar that was left from when he saved her. The stitches were still visible and it was like he was sealed up inside, unable to let anything in or out. She then noticed his second scar, the thin and pale one that only was visible under moonlight. She traced her finger along it while wiping away a few tears. “Don't do that.” He said softly.

“When are you going to push your ego to the side? I'm just wiping away a tear.”

“No, don't touch there. I know you see it. The silver scar I have running from my hairline down through my cheek. Don't touch it please.”

“I'm sorry. Does it hurt?”

“It doesn't hurt… The memories it brings up do…”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. It is a physical representation to which all of my pain comes from. It's a curse.”

“What happened?”

“I was born with it. This is all I'm willing to say about it. I'm sorry but the rest is secret.”

“Alright. Just sometimes if you keep something secret for too long it starts to eat at you. It just festers up inside until you want to scream it off the top of your lungs. Sometimes you just need someone else to know so you don't suffocate.”

“Ruby the story of that scar is only known by two other living people in this world and if I had the willpower to do so I would make it so nobody knew. It's something so dark that nobody should know.”

“So it's your deepest secret right?”

He paused for a moment before he said “Yes, you could say that.”

Ruby hatched up an idea. She had been meaning to tell him something for a little while and this would be the perfect time. “Well I have an idea. What about a trade? I'll tell you my deepest secret if you tell me yours.”

She could practically see the gears turning in his head as his curiosity overruled his other emotions. “Fine. I'm only going along with this because I'm interested in hearing what deep secret you could possibly have.”

Ruby gave him a quick and loving kiss before bringing her mouth to his ear to whisper. Ruby was going to do it. She was finally going to do it. She was finally going to say what she had been trying to. She was able to muster up enough courage for one sentence. One sentence would be all that is necessary. Three little words. Three little but yet so very large words.

“I love you.” 

She finally said it. She finally was able to say it. Relief flooding through her she looked up at him but his reaction was not one that she was suspecting. His eyes were wide in shock and he froze.

“Cobalt? Are you alright? Did you hear me? I said I love you.”

He slowly brought his hands up to his head covering his ears. It was as if he was trying to block out a nonexistent noise. He began rambling off as he began shaking. “The voice. It wants me to hurt you but I can't do that. I'm in control and it can only hurt me. Of course now that she loves me it's going to use that to hurt me into hurting her. But I can't do that. She loves me and there's no way in hell that I'm going to hurt her. But it wants to. It wants to cause me more pain. It wants to watch me suffer.”

Ruby got up from her seat and backed away in fear. Something was very wrong with him but she could not tell what was going on. “Cobalt? What's wrong?”

“The voice of guilt! It screams and screams as I can't do anything to stop it. It's finding its voice. It's angry at me oh so very angry.”

“Cobalt I'm scared! Please snap out of it!”

A new voice spoke up. It had a much deeper tone than his normal voice and was malicious. Whatever was speaking it was not Cobalt. **“See she wants you to snap out of it. Look at her eyes, she fears us.”**

“No, she only fears you. I'm the one in control and I am the one who makes my decisions. Your nothing but a demon of vile and hate!” 

His head would turn different directions as the voices switched like he was having an argument with someone else inside of him. **“That may be so but let's see how long I can draw this out. What are the most painful things I can tell her that you never would?”**

“Please no I'm begging you!”

**“Did you know that he's murdered people, children even in cold blood?”**

“I told you to stop! Please!”

**“Did you know that he had planned to sell you out?”**

“Stop!”

**“Did you know that he's been weaving a web of lies that has become so heavy that it has collapsed on itself and I'm the result?”**

“I beg of you!”

**“Did you know that Cobalt isn't even his real name?!”**

“NO! PLEASE ANYTHING BUT THIS!”

**“Come now don't be afraid. After all this is the one thing that can never be taken away from you.”**

“I DON'T CARE! I'LL DO ANYTHING, ANYTHING! I'LL REPENT, I'LL GIVE UP MY MONEY, I'LL TURN MYSELF IN FOR ALL MY CRIMES! ANYTHING BUT THIS! JUST NOT THIS! PLEASE NOT THIS!

**“His name is-”**

“NO!”

**“Roman Torchwick.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody. I hope you all are having a good day. I don't know if you are after reading that though. But if things weren't bad enough already I got more bad news. Hiatus notice time. I'm going to stop updating this for a while. No it's not so I can come up with a way for Roman to get out of this one. I'm currently more than ten chapters ahead in this story and I'm working to finish it. Things are going to start picking up for me irl soon so I need to finish writing this story as fast as possible. That means I'm having to even cut out my time for editing work I already have. When I finish writing this fic I can then spend a lot more time editing and updates will become frequent again. But let me tell you that there is still a lot I have planned that you haven't seen yet.
> 
> As far as how long this hiatus will last I don't know. It will likely end in late July to early August. But I promise you all that this will continue. There is no way even the forces of heaven and hell can stop me from finishing this story. Anyway until next time.
> 
> All content is courtesy of your local red headed, cane wielding, and impeccably dressed maniac, Italian Torchwick.


	28. What One Will Do For Love

Ruby stared in horror at the sight in front of her. Just as Cobalt finished his outburst his body went limp as his eyes rolled back in his head. A few seconds later his unconscious body fell off of the chair and landed on the floor with a sickening thud. He then remained there unmoving, perfectly motionless. The silence was almost deafening as she slowly slid down the wall she was leaning against to the floor. After sitting on the floor for a few minutes she was able to calm her breathing enough that she could think properly. He called himself Torchwick. The Roman Torchwick. The person that she was in love with just referred himself as Torchwick. It had to be a trick. It just had to. He was delusional and drunk. Yeah that was it. He was just drunk. He did not know what he was saying. 

Ruby shook her head wildly trying to get those thoughts from leaving her head. What she had to focus on right now was ensuring his safety. She crawled over to where he lay and put a finger against his neck. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief at his beating pulse and slow but regular breathing. He was not dead which was always a good thing. Ruby began brainstorming on what to do next. He was alive but knocked out cold. She could not just leave him there. She could not fetch help either because then she would have to answer why she was in a boy’s room this early in the morning. Winging it she lifted him up and took him over towards his bed. He was heavier than he looked but so was her scythe so it was not a problem. Laying him on his bed she took the covers and placed them over him.

When she was done with all of that she sat down on the side of the bed and looked at him. He looked peaceful as if his episode had never happened. She removed her gaze as quickly as she could. The more she looked at his face the more it started to look like _his_. She did not want to believe him. She hoped with all her heart that this was some trick or misunderstanding. She wanted him to wake up right now, grab her and hold her in his arms, and say that it was all an elaborate joke. She wanted him to kiss her afterwards and say that he loved her too. That visualization made her heart feel another stroke of pain. He never said it back. Of course she would never force him to say it. If he did not feel that way then she did not want him to say it if he did not mean it. It still hurt though. Taking out the pack of tissues originally meant for him she dabbed her eyes and said to herself “Some mess you're in huh?”

“Some mess you're in huh?”

Leaping off the bed she looked back at her recently unconscious companion. He was still laying there in the same position. His breathing rate did not change and it looked like he never said anything. The whisper was so soft that it could have been described as a trick of the ears but she knew otherwise. He really did just copy her. Walking over she checked for some time to see if he was faking being asleep. She poked his face several times, flicked his nose and shook his head. She even tickled his only ticklish spot, his neck, to no avail. He really was out cold. “I must be hearing things.” She said in resignation.

“I must be hearing things.” She saw him mutter softly.

Now this was getting unnatural. For reasons yet to be explained he was unconsciously repeating anything said nearby. While unusual it was not a bad thing. Ruby being the kid she was decided to have some fun with it. “I like to eat food off the floor.”

“I like to eat food off the floor.”

Giggling, Ruby said “I'm going to wear a tutu tomorrow.”

“I'm going to wear a tutu tomorrow.”

“I'm going to dance around like a monkey and only eat pickles for a week.”

“I'm going to dance around like a monkey and only eat pickles for a week.”

Ruby’s laughing stopped suddenly as she thought of another thing she could say. She debated about whether or not she should but just when she decided she would not it slipped out. “I love you too Ruby.”

“I love you too Ruby.”

Backing away with a gasp she clutched her chest. She felt as if a searing blade was thrust into her heart and someone was twisting it. She should not have done that. He was unconscious and helpless and she used him. What was worse than the fact that she just used him was that he sounded genuine. He sounded like he was really saying it. The fact that it was nothing more than a copy brought tears to her eyes. 

Curiosity fueling her she knew that she had to begin investigating. The very thought that he could possibly be the criminal mastermind was sickening. She knew that if she did not prove his guilt or innocence then that question would haunt her. She could feel it eating at her already. Looking around she checked for anything that might hold any proof one way or another. Over by his desk he had a large duffle bag of the same shade as his coat. She felt guilty enough for forcing him to copy her and this would just add to that. She had to be certain though so she opened up the bag and looked through the contents. He had several other identical coats and other clothes just like how she always had seven pairs of her classic battle skirt. To her surprise she found more of his sunglasses with blue lenses. He could have kept wearing them all this time. He must have stopped because he knew that she disapproved it. She was about to give up and check elsewhere until a small glint caught her eye. Hidden underneath it all was a tiny zipper for an almost invisible pocket. Opening it she found a scroll. Ruby tried to open it and a small robotic voice said “Sorry but access denied. Voice recognition code required.”

She had seen him open his normal school scroll countless times and never had to use a voice recognition code. This was some other, more personal and private, scroll that he used for reasons she had yet to identify. She sat down on one of the beds thinking for a minute. _“What could he say that would work? What code could he possibly have? Would it deal with me or something else? How would I even get into it? It's not like I can have him say whatever-oh wait a minute yes I can.”_ Ruby walked over to him and held out the scroll by his mouth. She had to think carefully as to what she would say. She racked her brain for anything that might be of use. That's when it dawned on her. She did have a possible phrase that she could use. She never thought much of it at the time but now one little slip up on his part could be the difference between guilt and innocence. Cobalt or Roman. 

She said “Cinder is a-” before she stopped. She did not know who this “Cinder” was but she remembered Torchwick calling her a mean term when he opened his scroll on the night of the art heist. Now she just had to say it. “Cinder is a-” She started before backing off again. She could not do it. If she was right and this worked that would instantly prove him to be Torchwick. The very fact that she had to do this scared her more than a horde of Grimm surrounding her with no escape. “Cinder is a-” She began but dropped off. This time was not because she did not have the courage to face her fear. This time was because she realized that she would have to curse. It was stupid, she knew that, but her biggest obstacle now was that she would have to curse. Surely this was for the greater good and it would be worth it but the notion that she would be doing something dirty could not leave her. She tried to compare it to what she had already done to prove it was nothing large, having forced him to say “I love you” and having gone through his personal belongings, but that only made her feel more guilty. With one last push of courage she looked away and said “Cinder is a bitch”.

“Cinder is a bitch.” He softly mumbled. She heard a click and the scroll opened up to reveal a video feed. Utterly horrified, Ruby’s hand shook enough that she dropped the scroll which bounced off of the bed and hit the floor. Ruby could not stop shaking as everything dawned on her. He really was who that malicious voice said he was. He really was Roman Torchwick. The Roman Torchwick. The same man who brought chaos to Vale and brought down world communications in Atlas was also her _boyfriend?_ Ruby fell to her knees as she felt like she was going to throw up. Just a few minutes ago she had wanted him to tell her that he loved her back. She wanted to kiss him and hold him close and tell him that she would never leave.

She laid down on the floor and curled up into a fetal position as she cried softly. She felt as if someone put a slab of concrete over her chest making it hard to breathe. 

_“Why? Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't he have just been Cobalt? It was all a lie. He played me like fiddle. None of this was ever real. He was just using me for his own gain. Here I was thinking that I met a good guy and it turns out to be fake. I should have known that it was too good to be true. I should have seen the signs. I should have just left him there in the cafeteria. I should have killed him like he told me to by the flower shop. It's all my fault._

_No wait it's not. It's his fault. He lied to me! He used me! He was acting this whole time to get close so that way he could see the pain in my eyes as he stabbed me in the back!”_

Ruby got up from where she lay and with a steady flow of tears still falling down her cheeks she stared daggers at the unconscious occupant of the bed. She could feel a spark of anger lighting inside her setting ablaze all her feelings and emotions for him. Her kindness turned to hostility. Her benevolence turned to spite. Her compassion turned to hatred. Her love turned to… It would not turn into anything. Even now staring death at the man she could not erase that feeling. Even after all he had done to her she still loved him. This only angered her further to the point that collateral damage was the least of their worries. Starting with his scroll she was about to step on it until she saw the video feed was still playing. 

She picked it up and read the description on the video. It was called “Neo spy cam”. She could tell from the parasol that would occasionally come in and out of video that it was that ice cream girl of his that he always had around. The same one that had saved him countless times and almost killed Yang. She was walking around a dark hallway of what looked to be a mansion. Making it to the final door at the end she entered this new room silently and began crouching to stay out of view. It was a bedroom that was one of the wealthiest rooms she had ever seen. Ruby then recognized the design. Pyrrha had many items that matched that decorating style: it was Mistral. Ruby saw Neo pull out the blade inside her parasol and stand up straight over the edge of the bed. Ruby could see an old sleeping man dressed in fine silks and on the dresser next to him lay a crown on a pillow. Ruby gasped as Neo thrust her blade through his heart and immediately pulling it out to slash his throat. Neo flicked any blood off her weapon and wiped it on the bed sheets which were steadily growing more and more red. Just before the feed went out Ruby saw her place a tape recording that had Torchwick's insignia on it on the pillow that held the crown.

If it was not confirmed enough it was now set in stone. He was indeed Torchwick and was going to watch one of his associates murder someone. Thinking horrible thoughts about him laughing at another's suffering a lightbulb turned on in her head. This was the personal scroll of Torchwick and if she could somehow download all of his files she could find out about all of his future plans. She could save countless lives. With as much haste as she could muster Ruby began the downloading process. Thirty seconds in it stopped. Torchwick's scroll said “Invalid authorization for request of copying sensitive files. Deploying defensive maneuvers.”

At that very moment his scroll shut off and so did her own. Turning hers back on a black queen chess piece appeared and the screen turned red. When it finally disappeared she looked in horror to see that every file was deleted. Every piece of notes, every game and even every photo. Every record of her first year at Beacon was gone. All gone in one instant. In rage, Ruby took Torchwick’s scroll and threw it against the wall thus embedding it. It took as much self-control as she had to not strangle him until he breathed his last breath. She planned several ways that she could kill him to make him feel her pain. Envisioning herself doing that her anger began to melt into shame. She had just planned on killing someone. Yes it was someone who was a piece of scum corroding the planet but still. She had felt no remorse. That was not the way of the huntress.

Ruby stood up and began planning some way that she could turn him in. She would make sure that she would testify against him in court. She had no doubt that she would watch his public execution. She felt her heart break when she thought of that. There was no doubt that he would get the death penalty for all that he has done. Yet just the thought of that hurt enough that it was almost physical. Her mind began flashing images of all of their happy times where there was nothing but love and kindness exchanged between the two of them. She kept telling herself that it was all fake, that it was all acting on his part, that they never had anything. The underlying thought that she was trying to suppress was the idea that he really meant it when he showed compassion. Ruby laughed at the idea that the other occupant of the room, the most wanted man alive, showing compassion for another human being. Yet it all seemed so real, so genuine.

Ruby knew at this moment that as much as she wanted to, she could not turn him in. Not yet anyways. She needed to ask him and hear from him that it was or was not real. It went against every instinct she had as a huntress but she did not care if it was selfish or not. She needed to know this and nothing was going to stop her. Since she could not ask him now she would have to wait for tomorrow. Storming out she opened the door and about to slam it closed she looked back. He was still lying there unconscious but instead of finding it cute she looked upon him with hate. Cobalt was dead and Torchwick was there instead. Closing the door softly she stormed back to her room hoping that some time tonight she would be able to cry herself to sleep.

* * *

Cobalt woke with a start to the sound of his alarm. The sun was shining through the window and birds were chirping. Sitting up his head suddenly felt like a bullet ripped through it. Making a remark about having one hell of a hangover he tried to get out of bed, only to end up falling and hitting his head on the floor. Grumbling about his head hurting both inside and outside he looked around him. He saw two chairs by the window and his scroll embedded in the wall. 

_“I really should stop drinking.”_ He thought. _“What happened last night? I remember my call with Cinder and then drinking my entire flask but then I blacked out.”_ He had the underlying notion that something bad happened. Something very, very bad. If only he could remember the nights events. Little did he know that the day's events were going to make him wish he still had a few drops left in that flask of his.

* * *

Cobalt was doing surprisingly well for a day that he woke up with a hangover. His teachers were fair and he was assigned no work. His concern steadily grew as the day went along though. His notion that something bad happened when he blacked out gradually increased until it was on his mind constantly. It was strange, as if he did remember something but did not at the same time. He knew that he should have remembered it but to save his life he could not. Something else that brought him concern was Ruby or more of the lack of her. He never saw her in the halls, by her friends or even at mealtimes. It was as if she just disappeared. He checked everywhere looking for her but with the sheer size of the building that did not do much good. The day coming to its close he left to go to their special tree to see if she was there at all. Even if she was not at least he could be distracted from his worry of Ruby by his sense of relief for Neo. He considered himself too lucky that the mission was a success and that she was still alive. Cinder’s call echoing through his head he would take great strides to make sure that she would never be harmed. 

Just as he pushed away the branches to their tree he saw Ruby. His stomach dropped at the sight of her. She had bags under her eyes and looked like a mess with her unkempt hair and slouched position. She was sitting up against the tree and brought her knees to her face when he entered. Jumping to her side he leaned in to touch her shoulder and said “Ruby! What's wrong?! Where were you today?! What hap-”

“Don't touch me.” She said softly while swatting away his hand. He backed up at the sound of her voice. She sounded like she had not slept all night and her voice was unnaturally cold. All remnants of sweetness and innocence were gone. It all made his heart break. He had to tread carefully as she had that look of instability that he had seen plenty of times before. Sitting down with his back to the branches he gave her a five foot berth. With as much of a calming voice that he could have, he gently said “Ruby when you want to talk I'm here. You don't need to be afraid.”

They sat there in silence for a few minutes with Ruby just staring at the ground. When she broke the silence it was so quiet that he could barely hear her. “Why? Why did this have to happen?”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“You know what happened.” She said with fresh new hostility and a menacing glare. 

“I'm sorry but I don't understand.”

“Last night. I'm talking about what happened last night.”

_“Shit.”_ Cobalt thought to himself. He knew that he had done something wrong but now whatever he did, he did it to Ruby. “Ruby I want you to know that I'm sorry. I got drunk last night and-”

He was interrupted by Ruby jumping onto her feet and yelling with tears in her eyes “That does not excuse what you've done!”

“I was going to say that after eleven I blacked out. If we had a conversation after that I don't remember anything from it.”

“You… Don't remember… Anything?” She said in a hushed whisper. She looked at her feet with a face like she had seen a ghost. He could see a few tears land on the ground as she stood there motionless.

Cobalt’s heart was pounding out of fear of what he could have done to make her this way. “Ruby I'm very scared now. I understand I've done something to upset you but I need to know what. I didn't hurt you did I? Please tell me I did not try to have my way with you!”

Her eyes closed as she began to laugh. It was not her beautiful laugh that made his day even if he felt like he was in hell. This laugh was corroded and broken, a cheap mockery of the excellence that it once held. “Playing dumb I see. Any other day I'd believe it in a heartbeat. Just shows you how gullible and stupid I am. On the off chance that you aren't lying the answers to your questions are ‘no’s.”

Feeling very panicked, Cobalt said “I'm not lying to you. I really don't have any idea what I've done but if you tell me then I can fix it.”

“Fix it! You men are all the same! The first thing you all think of when you see a woman crying is ‘What can I do to fix it?’ You can't fix things! You can't fix this! How about you just sit back and listen like I want you to?!”

“I'm sorry. I don't know what I've done but I'm-”

“How can you be sorry if you don't know what you've done?!”

Jumping to his feet he yelled “Because I can see the pain your feeling! You’re being consumed by it and are not doing anything about it! I feel absolutely horrible for even bringing this much hurt to you for a millisecond. So please tell me what I've done? Please?”

She brought her hands to her face as she tried to hide her crying. “Just answer this one thing for me please? I'll tell you everything after you answer this. Was this all real?”

“I don't understand the question.”

“Just answer it! Was any of this real?! Did you at any point feel a scrap of affection towards me or was everything nothing but one of your lies?! Did you ever feel remorse for what you were doing?! Did it ever cross your mind that you… you…” She fell to her knees and could not stop her crying. Cobalt had no idea what to do. His mind wandered towards the one thing that he could have done but he dismissed it. There was no way that he would reveal himself. 

Going down to his knees to even the height difference a little more he said “Ruby where is this coming from? I-”

In a sudden burst of energy she closed the gap between them and grabbed his shirt collar holding his face up to hers. In her eyes was a fiery rage burning so hot that he had never seen anything like it before. In a combination of a growl and scream she yelled “Answer the goddamn question Torchwick!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello everybody! I'm back after a while and thought that now was as good of a time as ever to post a chapter. I have finished writing my rough draft of the entire story so I'm excited about that. Updates will be few and far between but whenever I can I'll edit and update. Except for breaks, only expect around one chapter a month. It all depends on how much homework I end up getting.
> 
> But I felt like I should clarify things a bit more from the last chapter. I will be the first to admit that Roman’s outburst was an unusual one. But when you consider everything you can understand it a bit more. As you've seen I've been slowly teaching him morals but it's been having some negative side-effects. Ideally his conscience.
> 
> One’s conscience can work in a multitude of ways. It can range from an annoying whisper in the back of one’s mind towards full-fledged self-torture committed by one's own body. Luckily for yours truly I have the later. So too does Roman. Ruby confessing her love was the straw that broke the camel’s back. His mind could not take any more guilt and in his weakened (and drunken) state his conscience decided that since he was not being punished, it would do the job for him. And with Roman, subtlety just isn't his thing.
> 
> So with that lovely note I bid you all farewell. I hope to see you again soon.
> 
> And as always~
> 
> All content is courtesy of your local red headed, cane wielding, and impeccably dressed maniac, Italian Torchwick.


	29. Karma is a Bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Ruby knows “Cobalt’s” true identity Roman shall now be referred to only by his real name. Just to clear up any possible confusion.

_*Earlier that morning*_

Ruby was lying in bed waiting for time to pass and entertaining herself by watching the wall. As the hours passed her anger diminished from a murderous rage to a thoroughly ticked off. While her anger may have cooled her other emotions were doing anything but that. She could not get it out of her head that he betrayed her. She was upset with herself that she fell for his suave tricks and that she let him get so close. She hated him but also hated herself for not being able to stop loving him. She had fallen in love with a criminal and she knew that. Every time she told herself that it was wrong her memories would play scenes for her that said otherwise. The first time that she was able to make him laugh a genuine laugh. The first time he went out of his way to assist those who could not help themselves. The first time that she was tucked in his arms and felt safe and secure. All of their history that led up to this point would play and one question remained lingering throughout it all. Was this real? That is the only reason she had let him go. If any of it was real then she knew that she could not turn him in even if she wanted too. She had to know whether he was acting or not. She needed to know whether she fell in love with someone who did not exist or a criminal.

Ruby was startled by the sound of the alarm going off. She knew what that meant; she had stayed up all night. Clutching her covers she pretended to be asleep as the alarm stopped and the lights turned on. She could hear her teammates get out of bed and start their daily rituals. Ruby hoped that if she stood still then they would just get ready and start the day without her. “Ruby!” She heard Yang say by her bedside. “It's time to get up. I'm actually surprised you aren't up already. Usually you're the first one up to tell us your plan for the day… Ruby are you even listening to me?”

Ruby tried to remain huddled where she was until she felt her covers being ripped off of the bed. The initial rush of cold air made her form an even tighter ball but she remained mostly immobile. “Ruby, come on, get up. I know you can hear me.” Yang said as she shook Ruby to get up. Ruby on the other hand was not in the mood to go anywhere. Yang finally having enough, she jumped onto the bed and pushed Ruby onto her other side. Ruby moved her eyes upwards from her tucked knees to look at Yang. Yang’s smile melted away to a face of serious concern. “Ruby what's wrong?” She asked.

Ruby just brought her eyes back down to her knees where she could ignore the outside world. She could hear Blake and Weiss walk over to see what was wrong. Yang asked again “Ruby what's wrong?”

“I don't wanna talk about it.” She said in a voice she hardly recognized. She was tired and heartbroken and sounded like it.

“Ruby you can tell us anything. We're a team and you can trust us.” She heard Weiss chime in. 

“Nothing is too big for us to handle.” Said Blake.

Ruby remained silent and in the same position until she felt a hand on her forehead. Looking up at Yang she said “I'm not sick.”

“I'm just checking. You don't look very good. How much sleep did you get?”

“None.” Ruby could not help but notice how monotone her voice was becoming. It sounded emotionless and cold as if a machine was speaking in her place.

“Are you going to be alright?” Asked Yang.

“I don't know.” Ruby brought her head even farther down and felt the bed ease up as Yang got up. Straining her ears she could hear the whispered conversation between her teammates. Yang was saying something about the other two heading down for breakfast without her. Weiss and Blake rejected saying that they needed to be here to support her. If Ruby had not been in the shape she was she would have found their whispered yelling funny and ironic. After a few minutes of back and forth she heard Weiss and Blake leave with Yang getting back up on her bed. Sitting next to her Yang asked “They're gone if you don't want to talk about it in front of them.”

Ruby remained silent until she heard Yang sigh and speak up again. “Ruby something is obviously wrong. I know that whatever it is, it’s worse than just thinking about mom. That's what worries me. This isn't you. You're sweet and innocent and you can always light up others’ days no matter how bleak things get. So when you get this upset over something it's important. I'm not trying to pry but I need to know that you're safe. Are you?”

“I don't know. I just got into a fight with someone close. A bad fight.”

“It must've gotten pretty serious. Who do I need to beat up?”

“No!” Ruby yelled louder than intended. “No, just don't do that.”

“Sorry. Can you tell me a bit more as to what happened?”

After a minute of coming up with a safe way to say it she said “It didn't start off like how it ended. Things just spiraled out of control. Someone I'm close to said something that they shouldn't have.”

“What did they say?”

“I… I can't tell you.”

“You can tell me anything-”

“No! I can't tell you!” Ruby yelled. She took a minute to calm down before speaking again. “I'm sorry but I can't.”

“I get it. You can't tell me. But can you tell me how whatever they said led to this?”

“They didn't mean to say it. It just kind of slipped out. It was something I didn't see coming but should’ve. I should’ve seen it coming.”

“You should’ve seen what coming?”

“Yang. What do you do when someone who you thought you knew turns out to be someone else entirely?”

“Well if they're really close then I say it's an adventure to learn more about this new side of theirs.”

“But what if this new person is bad. Really bad.”

“What do you mean by bad?”

“Just… Bad.”

“I don't know. I don't have a lot to go off of so maybe if you could give a few more details-”

“NO!” Ruby yelled pulling her legs in as tight as they could be. Ruby was doing her best to stop herself from crying anymore but was slowly losing that fight. “I can't say anymore!”

“Alright I get it.” Yang said in the most calming voice she could. “If someone revealed some dark side of themselves to you then it might be a good thing. Was the fight physical or just arguing?”

“Just arguing.”

“Well then depending on the situation it might be good. It might be showing that they trust you enough to know them fully. Both their light and dark sides.”

“But they didn't mean to say it. They didn't mean to and it is not a good thing.” Ruby did not know how much longer she could hold back her tears that were persistent on forming.

“Have you tried talking to them about it? What did they do to explain themselves after they said it?”

“He passed out.

“Well that doesn't help things. That must've been one hell of an argument. Is there any way that I can help you?”

“Just what should I do?” Ruby said losing her battle. Now a rambling teary mess she said “I d-don't know what I sh-should do. It was all an-an accident. Nothing can e-ever be the same. It just hu-hurts so much.”

Ruby could feel Yang patting her head. “How about this? How about I go down and fetch us both breakfast that I'll bring back here so we can talk more if you want to? If you think that it would help I can tell the professors that you're sick today so you can get some sleep. Do you want me to do this?”

“Yeah.” Ruby mumbled.

“Alright. I'll be right back. Don't you go anywhere.” She said as she hopped down and sped through the door.

Ruby being left to her own thoughts began wondering about what she could do. She could not tell Yang anything that incriminating. Not until her question was answered. There was not really anything that Yang could do. Remembering a past conversation of theirs, Yang needed to follow her own advice. Sometimes a few kind words would not be able to change anything. The advice Yang was giving now clearly demonstrated just how little that Ruby was letting her in on. If Yang knew the whole story then she would be saying the opposite. 

She wondered what answer of his she would prefer more. If he was lying the whole time and it was all fake then she would have no problem turning him in. But then she felt like she would never trust anyone quite the same way again. If he was not lying and he did have feelings for her then she finally found real love. The downside to this is that she would be in love with a criminal that she vowed to others that she would fight.

She felt like she was slipping and she knew that if she opened her mouth again then everything would come out. That could not happen under any circumstances. She doubted that she would be able to hold it in too much more with Yang there. 

Then an idea popped into her head. She hated it but it could work. She knew that it was going to earn her a lot of anger from her team but if it worked and Torchwick's answer was what she predicted it to be, then it would all be worth it. Ruby knew she had to work fast. Moving as fast as a person who had a sleepless night and forgot their semblance was speed could, she dressed herself and grabbed whatever food she had. The idea of what she was doing made her lose her appetite but she expected that it would come back later. 

Ruby having packed some small snacks checked the hallway before sneaking out. She crept through the halls trying to avoid being seen by anyone. After weaving through the least traveled hallways she made it outside and headed over to their tree. Of all places she had to hide she chose this one. She did not have any other suitable options so she would make the best out of what she had.

Pushing away the branches she walked inside and set her stuff down next to her as she sat against the tree. The small cracks in the leaves allowed thin strands of sunlight to land everywhere. It was just enough to light the area but little enough that it could remain cool as the day got warmer. After all she had some time to wait.

Ruby hated that she had to ditch her team. She hated that she had to wait here all day because she did not trust herself not to spill everything. She hated most of all how she had not turned him in already and was digging herself a hole just over a few emotions. On the slim chance that he was not faking everything then what would she do? She never thought that far ahead. She was practically certain that it was all a trick but if it was then why was she here? Why was she going to great lengths to keep everything hidden? Was there a part of her that wanted to be in a relationship with him even after all he had done?

She shook her head to get that idea out of her head. She blamed her mind coming up with something like that because of her lack of sleep. She was sure that at some point exhaustion would allow her to get some much needed shut eye. Whether she actually slept or not was debatable. She had several lapses in consciousness that she could theoretically describe as sleeping. If she was then she was never asleep or awake for more than five minutes at a time. All it did was leave her frustrated and feeling more tired than she was to start with. Just as she gave up on sleep she heard footsteps getting closer.

The overhanging branches being pushed away she saw “Cobalt”. She took her sprawled body and brought it back into the ball that she was in when she was talking with Yang. She had so much time to come up with a plan, so much time to prepare an argument but with him in front of her now her mind went blank. She was trying her hardest to come up with a way, any way that she could talk to him. The problem was that there was no correct answer. No clear path for her to go down. Everything had always white and black to her. Now she was submerged in an ocean of gray with every option available worse than the last. 

He jumped to her side and leaned in to touch her shoulder. He yelled “Ruby! What's wrong?! Where were you today?! What hap-”

“Don't touch me.” She said softly while swatting away his hand. She sounded a lot colder than she meant to be but she did not care. There was only one reason that she was here and she was not going to let him dodge the question. 

He backed up at the sound of her voice. Even while not looking at him she could tell that he was taken aback. She did not understand why. It was as if he had forgotten about the night before. He sat down a little ways away from her and gently said “Ruby when you want to talk I'm here. You don't need to be afraid.”

That confused her. He sounded concerned for her wellbeing which he had done before but something was off. It was as if he did not register that it was him who caused this. After a few minutes of her getting more confused the more she thought about it, she muttered “Why? Why did this have to happen?”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“You know what happened.” She said with hostility. How could he not know what happened? He was there for everything. It was him who told her his identity. How dare he try to pretend that it was a joke!

“I'm sorry but I don't understand.”

“Last night. I'm talking about what happened last night.”

His face paled as he finally realized he was not getting out of this one. “Ruby I want you to know that I'm sorry. I got drunk last night and-”

Ruby jumped to her feet and yelling with tears in her eyes “That does not excuse what you've done!”

“I was going to say that after eleven I blacked out. If we had a conversation after that I don't remember anything from it.”

“You… Don't remember… Anything?” She said in a hushed whisper. She looked down at her feet in defeat. He did not remember anything. He did not remember him calling her over. He did not remember her confessing her love for him. He did not remember revealing his identity.

“Ruby I'm very scared now. I understand I've done something to upset you but I need to know what. I didn't hurt you did I? Please tell me I did not try to have my way with you!”

He seemed so serious. There was always the possibility that he was telling the truth. She dismissed the idea as quickly as it arrived. This was Roman Torchwick, the master of trickery and lies. He was just trying to play another trick on her. She would show him. She was not going to fall for any of his mischievousness ever again. Her eyes closed as she began to laugh. “Playing dumb I see. Any other day I'd believe it in a heartbeat. Just shows you how gullible and stupid I am. On the off chance that you aren't lying the answers to your questions are ‘no’s.”

“I'm not lying to you. I really don't have any idea what I've done but if you tell me then I can fix it.” His panicked voice almost brought out compassion in her. Almost.

She felt her anger bubbling up inside her. “Fix it! You men are all the same! The first thing you all think of when you see a woman crying is ‘What can I do to fix it?’ You can't _fix_ things! You can't _fix_ this! How about you just sit back and listen like I want you to?!”

“I'm sorry. I don't know what I've done but I'm-”

“How can you be sorry if you don't know what you've done?!”

Jumping to his feet he yelled “Because I can see the pain your feeling! Your being consumed in it and are not doing anything about it! I feel absolutely horrible for even bringing this much hurt to you for a millisecond. So please tell me what I've done? Please?”

He was putting quite a bit of effort into this bluff of his. Enough that she felt herself starting to fall for it. She could feel fresh tears start to arise. Now was not the time to show weakness. She brought her hands up to hide her face. “Just answer this one thing for me please? I'll tell you everything after you answer this. Was this all real?”

“I don't understand the question.”

Ruby was sick and tired of his little charade going on. He needed to drop it and accept his loss already. “Just answer it! Was any of this real?! Did you at any point feel a scrap of affection towards me or was everything nothing but one of your lies?! Did you ever feel remorse for what you were doing?! Did it ever cross your mind that you… you…” She fell to her knees and could not stop her crying. She did not want to but happy memories of the two of them returned and she could not stop herself.

Going down to his knees to even the height difference a little more he said “Ruby where is this coming from? I-”

She snapped. Her mental restraints were ripped to shreds. She could not take any more. In a sudden burst of energy she closed the gap between them and grabbed his shirt collar holding his face up to hers. In a combination of a growl and scream she yelled “Answer the goddamn question Torchwick!”

She stared into his eyes to see his reaction, any reaction. What she got was not what she was expecting. She was planning on him either running away from her, trying to capture her or trying to lie his way out of it. Instead what she saw was loss. It was as if he had just given up. 

“Answer me!” She screamed as the flow of tears steadily continued on. He made no change in expression. He looked as if a part of him died. Ruby having enough brought back her hand, formed a fist, and punched him right in the face sending him a few feet backwards. “If you're not going to answer the least you can do is fight me!”

After being knocked onto his back he got right back up again. He did not do anything. He did not say anything. He just stood there and looked at her with the same expression as he wiped away the blood that flowed from his nose. “I'm not going to fight you.” He said in a calm but stern tone.

“Why? You've done it so many times before. You've done much worse before. You've murdered countless innocent people. So why? Why not fight me?” She said as she released a flurry of blows hitting him all throughout the chest and face.

He did not flinch. He did not raise his hand to block anything. He just stood there taking the beating. This only angered her more. If he was not going to answer her question then he should at least have the decency to fight back. “Why are you not doing anything?!”

“I deserve this. I deserve your rage, your fury. If you don't take this out on me now then I know that you'll take it out on others who are uninvolved. I've brought you enough trouble as it is I don't need you ruining your friendships because of me. So I will be a punching bag. It is my punishment and I deserve whatever punishment you see fit.”

“Just fight back! Why won't you fight back?! You could have easily beaten me and kidnapped me to hide your secret by now! So why?! Why won't you fight back?!” 

“I deserve this.”

“Just stop with the self-moping bull crap! Just fight me!”

“No.”

“Just do it already!”

“No.”

“Just do it already. Just… Just… Fight me… Please...” She cried as her head landed against his chest and the sob she was holding back came loose. All she could do was punch him softly a few more times until her arms gave out on her. She was so frustrated, upset and embarrassed that she could not function right. She felt his arms wrap around her but she no longer had the strength to object or resist. 

He spoke in a somber and soothing tone while he stroked her hair softly. “Ruby I understand that you're afraid and confused. You have every right to be. You've been lied to enough that I want you to know right now that I'm only saying the truth. What I did to you was awful and I'm sorry for the pain I've brought onto you and your friends. I never meant to harm you in any of this. I was trying to come up with some way that I could tell you but every time I did I knew that you would leave. So I kept it secret for even longer. I know that I was being selfish. I know that I was being cruel. I know that saying sorry won't account for the things I've done. I don't expect forgiveness from you. I'm just giving my side of the story. 

As to your question ‘Was this all real?’ I don't know what answer you want but you're going to get the truth no matter what. Yes, it was real. These past few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. I've learned so much and I'm not talking about school. You've taught me not to be afraid of letting someone get close. That's something I will never forget. After all you were the first person to crack my armor since I made it many years ago. You pried it open and saw both my light and my dark and yet you treated me no differently. You showed me love and compassion, things that I've never felt before. I'm so thankful that I was able to meet you and I know that never in a million years could someone like me deserve someone as beautiful and brilliant and magnificent as you are. I know that this is a bad time. This is the mother of all bad times to say something like this. But that doesn't change the fact that you're likely going to try to turn me in as soon as we're done here. So before you do I just wanted you to know something. I love you.”

Ruby remained deathly still. She felt weightless. Half of her was rejoicing and the other was frozen in horror. She had fallen in love with Torchwick and he just admitted that he felt the same way about her. But this was Torchwick. He could act any part and was the master of manipulation. He knew how to pull the strings and control the actions of everyone around him. He could be lying right now. This entire monologue of his could be nothing but a gimmick to continue manipulating her. The two halves of joy and fear fought against each other for control of her response. 

The side of fear won and made her say “Stop it. How dare you play with my emotions like this? What am I to you? Am I nothing more than a doll for you to play with, a puppet held by strings?”

“Everything I've said was true. I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart.”

“Like you have one. Let me guess: this is just some twisted trick of yours. It's all nothing but a game. It worked. You made me fall in love with you without ever thinking that it was joke. You just find any young girl you can, make them fall for you, and then leave them when they need you most. How many others have you done this to?”

“None. I'm not joking here. I've never done that before. This isn't some ploy.”

With a burst of anger fueled energy she ripped herself away from his grasp. Trembling in rage she yelled “Lies! That's all you do right? Lie, cheat, steal and kill. You've been lying to me for weeks now. You've been cheating me into thinking that you were the one. You've stolen my heart. Now you've killed me with this cheap mockery of a confession of love. I'm done. I'm done with your _lies_. I'm done with your _schemes_. I'm done with _you_. Goodbye Torchwick. I hope you rot in hell.” She turned a full 180 degrees on her heel and stormed out ignoring his cries for her to come back.

* * *

Roman stood there with his arm outstretched long after she left. After what seemed to be an eternity his arm dropped and he slumped against the tree. The air turned noxious and he was left with a foul taste in his mouth. His body ached to its very core as the realization of what just happened hit him with full force. She cut ties with him. Everything that they had was gone, all of it taken away by some mistake of his.

He still had no memory of the night before but he could guess what happened. He must have had some breakdown because he knew that he would never reveal that information in his right mind. That still did not excuse what he had done though.

He knew that this day was coming. He knew that it would happen eventually and he was toughening himself up to be able to take it. All of his preparation was for naught though. The amount of pain and agony he was feeling was something he had not felt in years. He had nobody to blame but himself for this tragedy. He brought this upon himself. He could accept this if it was not for the fact of what he had done to Ruby. She was in shambles and he was to blame. Most of what he said to her in their time together was truth or stretched truth. But he had said so many lies in his past that he understood why she did not believe him. It still hurt though. He held nothing against her but for her to outright object to his confession felt like he had been stabbed.

He took his gloves off and looked at his hands. He wanted to look at the part of him that destroyed everything. His right hand was now forever covered in scars from ripping it from Junior’s steel grasp. Another reminder of him being a bringer of chaos. His hands began shaking. He could not stop himself. He felt sick as if he was going to throw up. He no longer cared about his own pain. He could take it and he was sure that he deserved it. But Ruby was a different story. She had done nothing wrong and she was now suffering for his actions. His mind drifted to how many others must have been harmed by the shaking hands in front of him. He remembered what Neo once said _“They're just the unlucky ones taking the hit. They're sacrifice is contributing to our goal.”_ He once treated that phrase as law but now he saw nothing but lies. How could he have ever been so blind? How could he not see what he was doing? It finally took him seeing the pain he brought to Ruby to see how his actions were affecting others.

He knew he had to fix things. Their relationship was like a glass sculpture now shattered into pieces. He did not know how but he knew that he would do anything to return what was lost. He would take each of the million shards of glass and not stop until he had everything glued back together. His mental sanity rested upon it. He could fix everything he had done to others later. Ruby took first priority. As much as he wanted to chase after her he knew that it would only make things worse. It would be better in the long run if he confronted her after she had some time to cool off. He just had to brace through several hours of what surely would be hell first.

He tried to get up with difficulty. Her beating him both physically and with her words made every muscle of his screech out in agony. The pain he was feeling was just like the suffering he went through after the loss of his sister, if not more. Using the tree for support he chuckled softly. _“I guess they were right.”_ He thought. _“Karma is a bitch.”_


	30. It'll All Be Better Tomorrow

_“Heaven is a place on Remnant. The people who came up with this phrase were nothing but overzealous, optimistic fools. Life is not a land of tranquility. Life is pain. Life is suffering. Life is hell.”_ Roman thought. He was sitting on the side of his bed staring at the floor in darkness. He was playing happy memories to pass the time until he felt tired enough to sleep. The overwhelming majority of them were of his time spent with Ruby. His heart ached for her. Three days had passed since the last time they talked and he had yet to come up with the courage as well as a plan to remedy things. So he passed the time losing himself in the past. He felt like he might find a solution hidden in those memories. Whether he was serious or lying to himself to feel better he did not know anymore. All he knew is how he wanted to be asleep. When he was asleep he could not feel anything. Guilt, shame, hopelessness, they were all cursing him with their never leaving presence.

The crack of thunder interrupted his thoughts. He strolled over towards the window and pulled back the curtains to look outside. Rain was coming down in buckets and he could hear the wind howling. He became distracted by the maelstrom and failed to notice the subtle click of the door opening and closing. He thought he saw something in the glare of the window. It looked like something was on his face. He leaned in closer to get a better view and then lightning flashed the entire room. He jumped back in fright of what he saw and landed on his companion sneaking up on him.

 _[Jeez I didn't realize I'd scare you that much. Can you get off of me please?]_ She typed and displayed raising her hand above from where she was laying underneath him. Roman got up covering his right eye with his hand.

“Neo please tell me you created that illusion. I forgive you for trying to scare me but please tell me what I saw was your doing.”

_[It’s nice to see you too.]_

“Neo trust me I am very happy that you're safe but this is serious. Did you create an illusion of my eye?” He said still covering his right eye.

_[No. What happened?]_

“I-I-I saw my evil eye.”

_[That’s impossible. You've mentioned all of the rules to me before. You weren't bleeding anywhere were you?]_

“No but that's what's scaring me. I swear it was real.”

Neo helped him over to his bed where he sat down and tried to calm himself. _[Look, sometimes your mind can play tricks on you when you're really upset. I've seen it happen plenty of times. Now remove your hand and I'll check.]_

“I'm not letting you see it. If it’s been activated then I would be placing a curse on you.”

_[Roman we both know that it wasn't real. Now remove your hand and let me see.]_

“Fine.” He brought his hand down and looked at her. There was no change in his vision which was a good sign. 

She smiled and typed _[Nothing there. I told you it was a figment of your imagination. Now what trouble did you get into to cause your mind to play this trick?]_

Roman looked down to avoid her gaze. “I fucked up that's what happened.” He said falling backwards onto his bed and covering his face in frustration of having to run through events one more time. He left a gap by his eyes to read her responses.

_[What the hell did you do?]_

“Nothing big. I only pissed off Cinder, got drunk and had some sort of meltdown that I have no memory of, and then revealed my identity to Ruby. While trying to fix the situation I told her about how I feel which she thought was a lie and then she broke up with me. So nothing too big.”

 _[WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!]_ Neo’s eyes were open wide in a silent yell at him.

“Well I'm too handsome for one thing.”

 _[You know what I mean.]_ Neo had to stop to take a few deep breaths. _[Alright let's start from the beginning. What did you do to tick Cinder off?]_

“She found out about the mace incident where I… You know what happened. She threatened me pretty bad. It's because of her that I got drunk.”

_[What did she say?]_

“She described in great detail how she would slowly kill you and make me watch if I fail another job. I broke down after that.”

_[What?! She's threatening my life for your mistakes?!]_

“Pretty much. Well you can't withdraw me from being undercover anymore. That is unless you want a slow and painful death. Cinder described it as an experiment to see if you bled white, pink and brown.” 

Her face turned red from anger. _[What can I hit?]_

“The bed on the far side of the room I've dubbed ‘The Beating Bed’. I don't know-” He was interrupted by her leaving as she walked over towards that far side bed and started hitting it as hard as she could with her parasol. “I wasn't in the mood to talk about my other problems anyway. I'm just going to go to bed. I hope your parasol and that bed spend some quality time together. Good night.”

 _[Wait a minute.]_ She typed and enlarged the text for him to read across the room. _[If she knows who you are then why has she not tried to turn you in yet?]_

“That's it. I've found no way to repair things with Ruby and I. The only reason I haven't given up yet is because of that: she's made no attempt to turn me in. It's the only thing that gives me hope.”

_[You knew this day would come. Why don't you just accept your losses and get over her?]_

Leaning up on his bed to scowl her, he said “Well thanks a lot for being supportive. Besides this isn't something I can just throw away. I've fallen head over heels in love with her.”

_[Come on. Don't you think you've put a bit too much effort into this? Surely you can find another girl to bed.]_

Something snapped in his mind. He got up and walked over to her in rage. It took all of his energy not to strangle her. “I am sick and tired of people assuming that love means sex! It doesn't alright! I don't want to hear this from anyone and especially from you. While I admit the thought has come to mind, and I would like it, I have never once touched her in that way. There is more to love than being physical. People can't seem to grasp that you can have a perfectly healthy relationship without bedding your partner. Love is a relationship between two people that actually care for each other! Not having a one night stand where you're nothing more than a lousy sex toy! Ruby and I had a mutual love for each other that I am determined to fix whether you like it or not. And it is not and will not be physical unless she wants it to be.”

She stood there stunned by his outburst for a brief moment before relentlessly typing _[What you have isn't real! You two are enemies whose sole purpose is to kill each other! Why can't you get that she's playing tricks on you using a nonexistent relationship?! She's trying to change you!]_

“At least what I have is more real than what you have with Blondie! Have you ever talked to her? Have you ever tried to think about how she feels? Have you ever thought that she too is a human being with emotions? Oh yeah I'm sorry I just forgot. The most you've got with her is every time you see her you get turned on! She's your ‘melting point’!”

The two of them competed in giving each other their best death stares. After a minute Roman grumbled “I think that it would be best if you leave.”

 _[Fine. But this is not over. Don't you think that you're getting out of this one.]_ She typed before stomping out the door. Roman watched as she left and returned to his bed. He was a little harsher than he had meant to be but she had been annoying him about that for a while now. Whenever he was too frustrated she would assume that it was sexual frustration and tried to hook him up with a few girls to solve that. He never accepted and always told her to never do it again. Ruby was so much more to him and for Neo to view Ruby in that light was sickening and infuriating.

He just could not take anymore and his weakened emotional state did not help. With his adrenaline rush fading he felt incredibly tired and as soon as his eyes closed he was out.

* * *

Roman woke up groggy and not wanting to start the day. He remembered his fight he had with Neo last night and groaned. He did not regret what he said. He was just frustrated that the first night that she came back he had a fight with her. Knowing Neo he now had to prepare himself for some kind of payback. What's more is that she was often patient when it came to revenge. He remembered a time where he ticked her off just messing with her and she waited a month for him to bring his guard down to get back at him. 

He grabbed his books and notes and left to start the day. Once in the hallway his instincts flared up. He could not tell what but something was wrong. Everything was quiet, too quiet. He kept walking forward while being vigilant for anything that might be hidden. Turning around a corner he heard something that made him stop mid-step.

“Roman.” Someone said behind him.

Shivers ran down his spine. He would recognize that voice anywhere. What scared him was the tone. Fear was saturated in every letter. Slowly turning around he saw her. He saw Ruby staring at the floor past his feet. She was trembling in fear at whatever she was looking at. “Ruby?” He said holding his hand out towards her. “What's wrong Ruby? You can tell me anything.”

“How could you? How could you do that?” She muttered pointing at the floor behind him. He turned around and saw what she was looking at. What used to be a normal hallway was now a bloodbath. The bodies of countless students covered the floor. He backed away from the horror slowly and with every step he could hear the slick sound of him stepping in and out of the massive pool of blood. He looked down and saw a bloody knife in his hands still dripping and his clothes covered in blood both dried and new. With a cry of fright he threw the knife away like it was a bomb.

He turned back towards Ruby and saw her looking into his eyes. Tears were streaming down her face as she whispered “How could you? You killed them. You killed them all.”

“Ruby I swear this is some misunderstanding. I didn't kill them. Please you have to believe me!”

He outstretched his arm to grab her shoulder. She swatted away his hand and slowly backed away. “Please? Please spare me? I'm too young to die.” She said with her voice shaking in fright.

“I would never harm you. I didn't do this.”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!” She screamed as she turned around and ran. Roman began to chase her as fast as he could. He could not understand what was happening. Nothing was making any sense. Almost out of breath after running through what seemed to be several miles of twisting and turning hallways he saw Ruby try to lock herself in a janitorial closet to escape him. With one last push of energy he was able to stop her from closing the door. Opening it wide he looked inside. It was empty.

He racked his brain as to where she had gone. Next thing he knew he was flying into the cramped closet face first. He was barely able to stop his face colliding with the cold concrete and then rolled over onto his back to view his attacker.

He felt as if he just then woke up from a dream. The hallway was dark and the moon was providing the only light instead of the morning sun. He was not in his uniform soaked in blood. He was still in his pajamas. Standing in front of him was his partner in crime Neo. Grabbing something out of sight she took this other large object and threw it on top of him. He immediately saw that it was not an object. It was Ruby who was also in her pajamas. Her eyes were glossy like she was seeing into another reality but that faded as soon as their bodies collided. Ruby blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes to see what was happening. Her eyes being cleared she saw where she was. She blushed heavily and jumped backwards only to be kicked back onto his chest. Now both of them looked back at his accomplice. Neo gave a short wave and closed the door enveloping them in almost complete darkness. They heard the click of the door being locked and a slip of paper being slid underneath it. As Neo’s footsteps receded Ruby turned her face back towards Roman’s. “Well hello there.” He said.

“Get off of me!” She yelled as she jumped backwards again and hit her head on the door. “Ow.” She cried out rubbing her head.

“Are you alright?”

“Stop pretending like you care and help me find a way to open the door.” She said trying to not allow her pain be evident in her voice. She began trying to turn the doorknob in any possible way to open it with no avail. Looking back at him she said “I told you to help. Now get up and help me.”

“You could always read the note she gave us.” 

She stopped shaking the doorknob and looked down at her feet at the note. Scrambling at it she held it right up to her eyes and turned it every possible direction. “Having trouble there?” He asked.

In a fit of anger she threw the note towards him. “You read it.” She commanded.

“Why me?”

“I can't read the handwriting.” She mumbled.

After a quick chuckle they switched spots so he could read it with the small amount of light coming out from underneath the door. It read _[I’ll be back in a few hours. You two have fun. ;)]_

He slouched to the ground and crumpled it in anger which made Ruby ask “What did it say?”

“That you might want to take a seat because we're going to be stuck here for a while.” After a short pause he continued on saying “May I ask you a question?”

“Not like I have much else to do.”

“Where did we first meet when I came to school?”

“What?”

“This is important. My associate that decided to put us in this situation has the skill to broadcast memories she makes up. But she can't read minds or your past memories. If you are able to answer this correctly then that confirms that this is not a continuation of the illusion I just experienced.”

“Well we had a skirmish but our first real conversation was when I caught you sleeping in the cafeteria.”

Roman breathed a sigh of relief. Yes he was stuck in this situation but at least he was sure that everything else was fake. He never did kill any of those students and he never went on a chase after Ruby. “Your eyes had a glossy look to them.” He began. “That's the look of someone seeing an illusion. Do you want to ask me anything to confirm that this isn't fake for you?”

She slumped against the opposite corner of the six foot by four foot room. After a few seconds of thinking she asked “What did we do on the Friday night of the first week I met you?”

“We went out for dinner and a movie that ended in the worst possible way imaginable. So you're certain that you're not seeing things either now. Am I correct?”

“Yes.” She mumbled.

“Was the illusion that my partner gave you unsettling?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Look I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I ticked her off and she's using this to get back at me. I never wanted you to get involved.” 

“I sure you did. After all I was only kidnapped from my room, had to watch a nightmare and was then locked into a room with Torchwick of all people.” She said bitterly.

He was thankful that it was so dark that she could not see him flinch from her statement. He began racking his brain for something to say but could not think of anything. After a period of several minutes he decided to wing it. “Do you want to talk about anything?”

“What's more to talk about? I'm stuck in a small closet with the greatest threat to humanity. I don't see what else there is to discuss.”

“I just thought that it would pass the time.” He said meekly.

“I prefer the silence.” She said coldly.

Roman let out a deep sigh and said “I get that you're upset with me but I'm just trying to talk things out.”

“There's nothing to discuss.”

“Can I at least ask you one question?”

“Fine.” She spat back at him. “Since you seem downright determined to have a conversation then let's have one. You disgust me. I don't know how you can sleep easy at night knowing how many lives you've taken and ruined. Yet you just keep walking on as if it never happened. As if they never mattered. Your lack of empathy sickens me to my very core. I know you never cared for me. I know you never loved me. I was just a puppet that you decided to wave around for fun. I was nothing but an object in your eyes and you never saw me as anything more. I hate you and I wish we never met!”

Roman’s mouth felt as if it was glued together. She might as well have stabbed him with how much her words hurt. But with as much pain as he was going through what upset him most was the Ruby’s evident suffering. He had racked his brain for days trying to come up with any way to fix things. That last statement of hers gave him an idea. It would kill him in the process but it could relieve Ruby of all her pain. At this point he only wanted her to be happy and if he had to leave for that to happen then he was fine with it. “What if I told you I could make that happen?”

“What now?”

“You said that you wished we never met. What would you say if I told you that I could make that happen?”

“How's that even possible?”

“By using something I like to call my ‘evil eye’. I can erase memories.”

“You're lying. Nobody can erase memories. That's impossible.”

“Most say that it's impossible to run at the speed of a bullet too but yet you can.”

She slowly turned to face him. “So you can erase memories as a semblance?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“Then what have you already erased from me? Tell me!”

“I haven't erased anything from you. I promise you that I haven't.”

“Lies! What have you already done to me?!”

“I haven't done anything to you! I'm trying to explain-”

He could see the glistening of tears that were starting to form in her eyes. “How many times have you touched me and made me forget?!”

“I would never do that! If you just give me a minute I-”

Breaking into a sob she said “I bet you've even had your way with me!”

“GODDAMN IT RUBY GIVE ME A MINUTE TO SPEAK!!” He bellowed thus ushering a cold silence upon the room. “First, I would never do something like that to you. I respect a woman’s right to say no. I am still a human being with human decency. Second, I have never used my semblance on you. I hate using it with a fiery passion. I hate that I have been cursed with such a power. I admit it comes in handy when a witness catches me but I never use it if I can avoid it. If I could have my way I have been born without it.”

“Why? I wouldn't put it past you. You're a bloodthirsty monster after all.”

“I am not a bloodthirsty monster! I have done everything in my power to have the least number of casualties possible! When I set the art museum on fire I made sure to bribe the entire night staff to stay home so they wouldn't be killed. In Atlas I waited for a two minute interval where every naval and aerial ship was docked and landed so nobody would crash and die. I hate bloodshed!”

“Don't you remember the riots or the countless people trapped by communications being down?! How can you say that you've done all of this without wanting bloodshed?!”

“I said I hate it. I never said I would never do it. First I did it for survival. Then I would only kill for revenge. Now I only kill because I have no other choice.”

“We all have a choice. You've always had the choice to spare others but you never do.”

“That's because at all times I have a gun to my head. Ruby what I told you by the tree was the truth whether you believe it or not. With all of the time we've spent together you've been changing me. I'm beginning to see the world through your eyes and I'm horrified of myself. My entire life I have spent fighting and killing with no option available other than death. I've carried this mentality through my life to this day and never questioned it because it was law in the slums. But now after spending so much time with you I see just how blind I was. I never questioned the methods as long as I got results. Every time I close my eyes I see all of the faces of those that I have wronged. You're right I don't sleep easy at night. Almost every night is a nightmare and further drives my desire to make things right again. But I can't. I have a gun to my head at all times and if I stop for even a second then my boss will pull the trigger. But not before making me watch them kill everyone I care about. That's why caring has never done me any good.”

Ruby took a minute to respond like she was slowly digesting everything he said. “So you never wanted to hurt so many people? You've just been a puppet forced to do this against your will?”

“I wish I could say yes to that. It would make everything so much easier. Right now it's complicated. I don't want to fight anymore but that's not my choice to make. Until as of late if I was not fighting for survival I was fighting for revenge. The amount of hate I hold inside me is almost unfathomable. Here is the major difference between us. You fight for the living. I on the other hand fight for the dead. I fight so that way the countless people who have given up their lives to save mine won't be in vain. I've promised them that I would change things and that is what I will do. 

The poverty district of Vale is a bloodbath. People lie, steal and kill left and right. And it's not adult versus adult. Children are killing other children over petty loaves of bread. I've seen countless souls extinguished by murder, starvation, freezing to death, asphyxiation and any other possible way to die. Yet the government and the people of this city do nothing. If by some chance one of the countless massacres gets media attention then everyone says ‘that's so sad’ and then goes right back to eating their gluttonous dinner. Meanwhile children are starving to death in rubble of buildings after being abandoned by parents _who tried to kill them_ because they can't afford another mouth to feed! How is any of this justice?! How is any of this fair?! How can people see such horrors and then turn a blind eye to it?! How can people leave their brothers and sisters to die while they pretend it never happens?! How is it that your family can be murdered in front of your eyes and nobody gives a DAMN?!”

Roman took a minute to breathe and calm himself down. From her small corner he heard her softly speak “I'm sorry you had to go through that.”

“Thank you. You know we're not _too_ different. We both want to fight for others with semi-admirable intentions. We're just stuck on opposite sides. I guess my point with all this is that I'm trying to show that I'm human. When you spend so much time fighting an enemy you demonize them. I never thought of hunters and huntresses as anything more than an army of children raised by oppressors. But after meeting you I've learned that I was wrong. We're all people. Including myself. So can you please trust me? Even just a little bit. I want to be able to say things to you and not be spat at with accusation of lies.”

After a little grumbling Ruby said “Fine. I'll trust you but if you do anything that might make me think that you're tricking me then it's gone. Got it?”

Roman breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. You won't regret this.”

“I better not.”

“Ruby, I want you to know that what we had was real. It was very real. While I did stretch the truth sometimes most of what I said was the truth. Everything with Ruth was true. My ‘teammates’ are real friends of mine with different names. When I said one of them died they really did die. My history with Torchwick was originally just a method to see if you felt the same way about me but transformed into something more. The fight between ‘Cobalt’ and Torchwick was my internal struggle between what I was learning from you and what I had taught myself. That was real. Every laugh we shared, every cry and every kiss was real. Every snuggle time and yes I, Roman Torchwick of all people just said snuggle time, was real. So I want you to believe me when I told you that I love you. I'm telling the truth; every time I've said it and will say it I mean it. Ruby, I really do love you.”

She took a minute to come up with a response. “I want to believe you. I really do. It's… Just… Hard I guess. Everything people have told me about you says that you're just a maniac who enjoys killing people. This goes against everything I've been brought up to believe.”

“I've been brought up to believe that hunters and huntresses abandoned the poor. I used to see all of you as monsters leaving us to die. Both of us are wrong.”

An awkward silence arose and filled the room. Roman knew that he had done his best explaining himself but now he had to ask the question that they had gravitated away from. “You've heard what I had to say. Now you need to make a choice. My offer to erase your memories is still on the table. I won't put it against you if you decide to do so.”

“Why? Why are you offering something like this?”

“Because I hate to see you this way. I can see how much you're hurting and I'm responsible for it. At this point I just want to see you happy. Whether that means that you're with me or not doesn't matter.”

“What would you do then? If I decided to go through with it that is?”

“Me? I would keep moving forward. Of course I'm still under orders of my boss that I can't leave. I know that it would be painful to stay here and see you but as long as you're happy then I will accept whatever your choice is.” He said with a fake smile. He knew what would happen if he erased so many memories. He knew the side effects he would have. He knew that he would not live to see the light of day.

Even with how little light they had he could see the gears turning in her head. Roman closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths to calm himself. He would be true to his word and accept her choice whatever it may be. That did not mean he had to like it though. “No.” She whispered.

“What?”

“If I were to say yes then everything would be gone. Every minute I've spent with you would be as if it never existed. If what you've said is true then I don't want to throw this away. These memories mean too much to me.”

“Thank you. I didn't want to have to use it on you.”

“Why do you hate your semblance though?”

“Why? It's because it's a curse worse than death. When it's activated I can look through a person's memories and scan for anything I want to delete. Not just the ones they remember but forgotten and subconscious memories as well. Our memories are what make us who we are. If I erase a memory then I may change who you are and what you could be at the fundamental level. Nobody deserves that.”

“What was that thing you said about it being activated? I just use mine whenever I want. I don't have to activate anything.”

“This brings me to the other reason I hate my semblance. I can't just walk up to someone and erase their memories. There are rules that I have learned over the years. You know that silver scar of mine? Well it requires a sacrifice.”

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“A blood sacrifice.”

“You mean you have to kill someone to use it?!”

“Goodness no. I mean that it actually requires blood, my blood to be specific. To start up the process I need to bleed enough to cover my entire scar. The more blood the more powerful my eye becomes.”

“How can it get any more powerful?”

“Do you think that the human mind willingly gives up core memories? The more precious the memory, the more force is required to delete it, and the more blood required to complete it. Remember when I told you in the hospital that I was familiar with almost bleeding to death? This is why.”

“So you've almost died using this before?”

“I'm not proud of it but yes.”

“Why though?”

“I'm a different man now than I used to be. Back in my youth I was always filled with spite and vengeance. I'd rather not go too much into detail. That was a really dark time for me.”

She paused for a moment before asking “You said in your youth right? Well… I was just wondering… Exactly how old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Oh no.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I'm fifteen.”

“And?”

“Well there's another thing to add to the list of reasons we can't possibly be together. Stupid laws.”

“If it's a consenting relationship on both ends and as long as it's not sexual I don't see what's the big deal. Are you actually considering believing me?”

“It was just a thought that came into my head. Nothing more.”

“I assumed so.” After a short pause he said “Ruby I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're hurting because of me. I wish I knew what to say and what to do but I don't. I know that our relationship wasn't unicorns and rainbows but it was still the most precious thing I've ever had. I want to make things right between us, or at the very least right _-er_. I don't know how though.”

After a minute she said “I have an idea.”

“Well go ahead.”

“This won't fix everything. I'm still watching you to make sure you don't pull anything fishy. You've mentioned that you don't want to fight anymore. If that's the case then prove it to me.”

“That's going to be a little difficult considering our current location.” He said gesturing towards the cramped janitorial closet.

“You wanted me to believe you. I want to believe you. I just need you to prove to me that I can again. You had mentioned that if you stop fighting then your boss would kill you and your friends. If you told me their name then I might be able to help you stop them.”

“Ruby have you ever seen a god?”

“Um… No… I don't see how this is related.”

“If you fought in a battle against a god would you win?”

“Probably not.”

“Then do you understand the situation I'm stuck in? My boss isn't just some crime lord ruler among crime lords. They have power that is obscene. It's inhuman. If I tick her off or turn on her then I practically will have the incarnation of a god on my back.”

“Well you said ‘her’ so that means that it's a woman.”

“What? I didn't mean… I swear that…”

“Wow. I know that we're in school and all but shouldn't you know how to make a complete sentence by now?” She said in a mocking tone.

He smirked and said “I need to start copyrighting my material.”

“You still haven't told me who is forcing you to do all of this.”

“I know.”

“Torchwick if I'm supposed to trust you then I need you to trust me. I can help you with this.”

“I would love nothing more than to be free from her clutches but the problem is that I can't escape her. There's nothing I or anyone else can do to stop her.”

“But let me try. Please? All I need is a name.”

Roman’s anxiousness was growing by the millisecond and he soon felt like he would burst. If he revealed his employer’s name then he would be in a very large amount of trouble if it impacted anything. He had the right to risk his own life in this endeavor but what about others? This was a horrible risk where he would have to wager not just his own life but Neo’s and Junior’s as well. Who was he to wager lives other than his own? Then an idea popped into his head. An idea that might just work. “Do you remember the night at the art museum?”

“Yes?”

“Well my boss has the uncanny ability to see through almost any lie I give her. So if she asks me if I told you I can't lie. But I can't help it if something might have slipped that far back. After all who would expect you to remember something so small from back then? Please tell me you remember what I said to enter my scroll? I should have called someone a pretty offensive term.”

“That's actually how I proved that you were Torchwick. You had passed out and I found your scroll and was able to enter it.”

“Oh. I'm sorry that you had to see that. I didn't want to be involved in that mission. I never had a choice. But you remember the name right?”

“Yeah it was Cinder right?”

“Hey, you didn't hear it from me. But yes. I'm sorry if I just got you involved into something larger than you can handle. I'm just afraid. I'm afraid of her, I'm afraid I'm going to lose my friends, and most of all I'm afraid of losing you. I'm just-”

He was interrupted by a small gesture. Looking down slowly he saw her hand on his. Bringing his eyes back up he could see the outline of her next to him. “You finally did it. You're finally letting me help you.”

Roman could feel his heart beating out of his chest and he was thankful that the darkness was hiding his blush. He did not know what to do. He had to react in some way but he felt that whatever he would do would be wrong. “D-Does this mean…”

“No. Right now I can't forgive everything you've done. But if you're telling the truth about wanting to change and that what we had was real then I'm willing to give you a second chance.” She grabbed his head and brought it right in front of hers so they could see each other's eyes in the darkness. In a cold and unyielding tone she said “But this is your last chance so don't make me regret it. Understood?”

“Understood. Wait a minute what are you doing?” He asked as he raised his arms into the air, being taken aback by her motions. She had let his head go and slid right up next to him. He felt her arms wrapping around him in an embrace that felt both loving and cold at the same time.

“I'm only doing this because I'm freezing. Don't get any funny ideas.”

Bringing his arm down slowly he brought her in closer and said “Wouldn't dream of it Red.”

She gave a shiver at the sound of that. “Can you not call me that? The only reason I didn't back away is because I'm really, really cold.”

“Sorry, It won't happen again. I killed the mood right there didn't I?”

“Yes.”

“I knew that things were going too well. My luck never lasts this far. I'll just shut up so I don't say anything else stupid.”

With that he retired to his own thoughts. He was still confused as to her primary emotion. She seemed to be in a perfect balance of happy and angry which he did not understand but he knew better than to question. He was just thankful that he had her back. Yes he was on thin ice but he was drowning before tonight's events. He could think about the future later. Right now he wanted to enjoy the time he was spending with Ruby, however fragile their relationship may be. He would sit there and stay with her till the end of time if she asked. It kind of scared him that he cared so much for her but it was times like these that made all of the pain and struggling worth it.

All sense of time had disappeared. With neither of them having their scrolls and the light never changing direction from underneath the door, they had nothing to check or measure to give a notion of time passing. Roman faced with this problem just shook his head and moved on. To him it was less of an inconvenience and more of a blessing. As time had stopped so too did all the troubles of the outside world. While the chilling cold, concrete floor and overwhelming smell of chemicals did not make for the most comfortable experience, it was peaceful. It was not long until he felt began to feel the pull of sleep clawing at him. He could soon tell that he was not the only one that sleep was tempting. Ruby’s head was nodding as she was doing her best to stay awake but was slowly losing. He was not sure how much sleep she had been getting recently and knew that she needed rest more than he did. He whispered softly “Go ahead and get your rest. I'll make sure nothing happens to you.”

As soon as he finished saying that her head dropped limp as she fell asleep. He repositioned her so that way her head would not be drooping but using him as a pillow. He began stroking her hair and made a mental remark about how cute she looked when she was asleep.

His brief moment of tranquility was interrupted by the sound of the lock tumblers moving. The door opened and he saw his accomplice with a smug smile on her face. Once she looked inside her smile faded into a scowl and her eyes lit up with rage. Not even bothering to take the time to pull out her scroll she started angrily signing. 

_[What the fuck Roman?!]_

Roman afraid of waking Ruby signed back “I can say the same thing to you! What the hell were you thinking?! One minute you're telling me to cut ties with her and the next you are locking the two of us in a closet! Are you out of your mind?!”

_[It’s called reverse psychology you idiot! You were supposed to kill each other! I expected you to realize that you could never be together!]_

“I’m not some child anymore. I’m not going to fall for that. If anything you've just helped me considerably.”

_[Goddamn it! This wasn’t supposed to happen!]_

“Sorry to disappoint you. If you excuse me now I need to return Ruby to bed. You know, after you forcefully kidnapped her and then fed her nightmares. Thanks a lot for that. It was a real help.” Roman signed as he picked Ruby up bridal style and walked right past Neo. The entire way back to her dorm he looked straight forward ignoring the small childlike adult ahead of him having a tantrum. She looked utterly ridiculous with her over-exaggerated signing and her complete silence. Finally making it in front of her dorm room he stood right in front of the door and waited. Not bothering to look down at Neo silently screaming at him he said in a harsh whisper “Use my scroll that you pickpocketed off of me before you shoved me in the closet and open the door. Now.”

_[Why the hell should I?]_

“Because I’m not leaving this spot until you do. I know you have my scroll on you and I know it can hack into a lock as simple as this. So I will wait here for hours if I must. I don't care.”

_[Are you an idiot?!]_

“No. I just have my priorities straight.”

After stomping her foot on the floor a few times in stubborn anger she finally conceded and unlocked the door for him. He walked in being as stealthy as he could to the point that he could not hear his own movements. Standing right by her bunk he lifted her up gently onto her bed. He brought the covers back onto her and tucked her in. With a kiss to her forehead he whispered almost silently “Goodnight Ruby. Get some rest.”

Making sure that he could not be heard while he left, he snuck out and quietly closed the door behind him. Turning back around to the rest of the hallway he saw Neo with her arms crossed and pouting. She signed _[I’m waiting for an apology.]_

What little self-restraint Roman had left was used to remain quiet throughout the ordeal. He grabbed her by her jacket and slammed her against the wall bringing her fearful eyes to look directly into his. He took a few deep breaths to prevent himself from yelling. In the most threatening voice he could muster while still whispering he said “Neo you have crossed the line. I know that we don't agree on everything but I have trusted you like you were family for years now. I have put up with your jokes and you have put up with mine. But the one rule that we abided by is that it would only involve the two of us. You brought Ruby into this and that is not something I can ignore. I understand if you get back at me for pissing you off but she had nothing to do with it. You kidnapped her and fed her nightmares to get back at me for a stupid argument. I thought that you were better than this. You can do whatever the hell you want to me but if you lay one finger on her then I will make sure that you will regret it. Keep her out of this. So you’ll get your apology over my dead body. Now get out of my face.”

He dropped her and stormed off to his room to get some much needed rest. He knew that he might have been a bit harsh but he was ticked and said what needed to be said. Now was not the time to beat around the bush. He knew that he would do anything to protect Ruby. He did not care if they were a couple or not. All he needed was to see her smile back again. He loved her and would do everything in his power to bring back what they once had. 

Getting into his bed he let all the good memories of Ruby and him flood his mind and he smiled knowing that he was going to be able to make more. He thought one last thought before letting sleep take him. _“It’ll all be better tomorrow.”_ For the first time in years or possibly ever he told himself this and knew that it was not just a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a quick note of thank you all for reading and giving reviews/comments. It all means a lot to me. Also sorry for the long chapter but big messes (I'm looking at you Roman) require big cleanups.


	31. Mistakes

Ruby woke up to the sound of their alarm and for the first time in a while she felt rested and ready to start the day. She thought to herself about the events that had transpired the previous night. She knew that it was not a dream. She remembered falling asleep in the closet and waking up right outside her room. She remembered him bringing her to her bed and tucking her in. The thought of when he kissed her head goodnight made her blush. 

“Ruby is everything alright?” Asked Yang interrupting her thoughts. “You look kind of funny.”

“Trust me Yang I’m fine.” Said Ruby who realized a change in her voice. She could not describe it properly. The closest thing that she could come up with was that she sounded more like herself.

“Well that’s a relief. You had us all worried there for a while. Care to tell us what that was all about?” Asked Weiss with a yawn.

“I was just having a bit of a rough patch. Nothing big.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that? That’s a pretty vague answer.”

“Nope. How about we get ready for breakfast?” Replied Ruby who wanted the subject to be changed a quickly as possible.

“We’re your team Ruby. You can’t keep this secret from us forever. Not when it struck you that badly.” Said Blake. 

Ruby scratched the back of her head and looked down at her sheets. She still had not told them about why she had been acting off and they were interrogating her every time they got a chance. She was thankful that her team cared so much about her but at times like this it was a hindrance. “I’ll tell you all eventually. I’m just not quite ready yet. Don’t worry about me too much. I promise you that I’m getting better.”

“We’ll make sure you hold up that promise.” Said Blake as she got up and started getting dressed. 

Taking that as a sign for her to get up and start the day Ruby got out of bed and started doing her morning routine. While in autopilot her mind drifted back to her conversation with Torchwick. She knew what she was doing was stupid. Of all people she had to fall for, it had to be him. She did not know if this giving him a second chance thing was right and it most certainly was not ethical. He was a criminal and she was a huntress. He was the villain and she was the hero. They were supposed to fight and the villain loses and everyone lives happily ever after. It would never work out.

Yet something kept her going. Something inside of her wanted to keep trying. Something did not want to let go. She did not know what it was nor did she really care. She could not help what she felt. Besides, if what he had been saying was true then she could redeem him. Then the two of them could be together and nobody would try to drive them apart. She knew that she should not like the thought of that but it allowed her to breathe for what felt like the first time in a while. Just the thought gave her some peace. She knew that it was wrong but could not help but think about all of the happy times she spent with him. He was always able to make her laugh and the feeling she had when he held her in his arms was unlike any other.

“Ruby are you sure you're alright? You’re making that face again.” Asked Yang.

Ruby jumped in fright from where she was brushing her teeth. Yang seeing this put her hand on her sister’s shoulder and said “You've been awfully jumpy lately. Can you please just tell us what is wrong? We're here for you and want to help you but we can't if we don't know what's wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Said a muffled Ruby through a mouthful of toothpaste.

She felt Yang grab her other shoulder and was spun around to face her. “Please don't lie to me. I haven't told the others about you leaving because I trusted that you would come to me. The fact that you still haven't yet is troubling. We're sisters and part of a team. We’re supposed to trust each other no matter what. I'm just getting worried. You're making us all really worried.”

After washing out her mouth Ruby said “I wasn't lying when I said that there is nothing wrong. It's more of something new. It's not just good or just bad. It's more of unexpected. Yeah that's it, it's good and bad and unexpected.” Ruby’s eyes drifted away as she tried to look through her memories to find something to get her out of this. 

Yang narrowed her eyes into a squint as she studied her sister. Ruby was brought out of daydreaming for the third time that morning by Yang saying “Why are you making that face again?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That face. You get this thousand yard stare and you start blushing all of a sudden…” Said Yang who drifted off at the end of her sentence.

“Yang what are you getting at?” Ruby could see a smile slowly grow on her sister’s face. “Yang I'm getting worried now.”

Yang leaned in to whisper excitedly into Ruby’s ear “You've got a crush on someone don't you?!”

“WHAT?!”

Yang grabbed Ruby and pulled her into one of her classic bear hugs. “Awww. My little baby sister is growing up.”

“Yang you're hurting me!” Said a slowly suffocating Ruby.

“So who’s the lucky guy or girl?” Yang asked letting go and having Ruby drop to the floor.

“Yang you're taking this wrong, it's nothing like that.”

“Wait you called your friend that upset you a ‘he’. So it is a guy! Who do I need to hurt?”

“Nobody! Yang please don't do anything!”

“I have been waiting for this day for so long! Let me go get my stuff!” Said Yang running out of the communal bathroom.

“Stuff?! What stuff?!” Asked Ruby who soon followed in close pursuit. Ruby chased Yang out of the bathroom and once she looked through their front door she froze. Yang was sitting on her bed holding a pair of hedge clippers and laughing maniacally. “Yang where did you get that?” Asked Ruby who felt herself going pale.

“That is of no importance. Now let's have some fun!” Yang said snipping at the air a few times.

Blake brought her hands into the air as she slowly approached Yang. “Yang I think you need to calm down. Just hand over the hedge clippers and we can talk.”

“I'm perfectly sane thank you for asking. I'm just excited!”

Weiss spoke up but made sure to keep her distance. “That does not ease us in the slightest. Perhaps you could explain more after you put them down?”

“I have these because I believe that Ruby has a crush on somebody. If that person has been the one hurting her then they need to understand what a woman who is in pain is like.” Yang said giving the clippers a quick snip-snip.

“Yang this is a little extreme. Please put the clippers down.” Said Blake.

“Come on. All I'm trying to do is ‘fix’ the guy. Where's the harm in that?”

Weiss trying reason again said “As entertaining as this could be I do not think that it is appropriate at all. The joke has gone far enough and it's time to put it down.”

“I don't care what you all say, I'm taking this with me and I will follow Ruby all day if I have to in order to find this illusive crush of hers.”

Ruby may not have understood most of what they said but she knew enough to understand what her sister was implying here. “Yang even if I did have a crush, which I don't, then why would I tell you if you were going to do that to them?” Ruby asked.

“Simple. I won't leave your side until you tell me.”

* * *

Several hours and many failed attempts at losing Yang later, Ruby walked through the branches of the overhanging tree panting and exhausted. She took a seat against the tree next to her blue dressed companion and breathed a heavy sigh.

“Long day I take it? If you want to talk about it I'm here.” He said.

Ruby looked over at him and studied his face. She was surprised that such simple things such as a haircut, a lack of makeup, and a change of clothes could make him look so different from the villain she had fought so many times. She knew that in public she had to still refer to him as Cobalt but she now forever knew him as Torchwick. “School wasn't bad, just Yang made it a hassle.”

“This has something to do with her carrying hedge clippers around all day doesn't it? It was very entertaining to watch.”

“Well I'm glad you had fun. It was really embarrassing and annoying.”

“May I ask why she did that?”

“She thinks that I have a crush on somebody so she threatened to cut off the guy parts of anyone who could be it.”

“That would be bad.” Said Torchwick looking very uncomfortable as he shuffled a bit. After a small pause he asked “So you do have a crush on someone?”

“Of course I do. It's you silly.”

“I just didn't know if you threw that away after you found out about,” he paused for a short moment, “About who I am.”

“That's not something I can just pick up and throw away.”

After a long period of silence Torchwick asked “Why didn't you turn me in?”

“What?”

“Why didn't you turn me in? You had plenty of reason to. After all you found out that a criminal was wandering the halls of Beacon posing as a student. You were furious at me and could have told anyone to put me away. I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. So why didn't you?”

“Well… I guess because it didn't seem real.”

“But you knew it was.”

“I knew it was real but I don't think I'd have the heart turn you in. If I did then you would probably be killed. After all you've gone through; my actions would be the cause of your death. After I've spent so much time with you I know you as a damaged but healing person, not a soulless criminal. For me to just end everything once you're redeemable seemed cruel. Besides my feelings for you never went away. I was just angry but I still felt like that towards you.”

“Do you regret not doing so?”

“No.”

“Really? Even after all I put you through? Even after getting forced into a closet with me and fed nightmares by my companion?”

“I still don't regret it. You've talked about how you don't want to fight anymore. You even gave up the name of your boss to prove it. You keep saying that what we had was real and you've not done anything to make me think otherwise. In our time together we've had rough spots but all the good times outweigh the bad.” 

Ruby looked down at the ground and saw his open hand. Acting on instinct and a sense of longing she brought her hand on top of his and intertwined their fingers. “Besides I’m a huntress. It’s my job to make sure everyone gets a happily ever after.”

He gave her hand a small squeeze when he asked “Even for a villain such as myself?”

“Do you see yourself as a villain?”

“...I don't know anymore.”

“But you said that you didn't want to fight?”

“Ruby this isn’t just some hopscotch game where I can jump sides back and forth over and over again. If I switch sides then the decision is final and there is no going back. I would have to be absolutely certain that I would want to go down that road for me to do so. Right now I’m not.”

“What’s holding you back?”

“Better to ask what isn’t. If I could have had my way then I never would've teamed up with Cinder and I would be sitting in my apartment now drinking a bottle of whiskey, smoking a cigar and enjoying my ill gotten loot. But things don’t work out like that. In one swift, invisible move Cinder called checkmate on my head and I had no choice but to join her ranks. I did it to survive but she has me working for revenge. There is a difference between the will for revenge and the will to survive.”

“So what does that mean?”

“It means that I don’t want to induce mass cases of panic anymore. I never said anything about quitting stealing. Theft is almost second nature to me. It’s what has kept me alive to this day and I don’t know if it ever could go away.”

“Oh… Okay…”

“I’m sorry if this upsets you. I know you may not like it but it’s my theology. We come from two different worlds with two completely different ways of thinking. I don’t agree with yours and you don’t agree with mine. I can look past this though. I’ve… I’ve grown quite fond of you if you haven’t noticed. I’ve grown to love you even with all that sets us apart. I understand if you can’t but I just hope you can do the same. I don't want to push you into anything though.”

“Don't worry you're not pushing me into anything. I'm sorry that you're pouring your heart out here and I'm just shrugging you off. I've just got a lot on my mind right now.”

“You're not shrugging me off. I understand that this may take some time. But if you feel like you need to get something off your mind I'm here for you.”

Ruby was thankful. Her woes had been festering and to have someone understanding to listen would be nice. She leaned over so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “I'm miffed at Yang.”

“Maybe she got jealous of you having an oversized gardening tool and decided to get one of her own?” She looked up to see a smile on his face as he tried to stifle a laugh. “Oh come now I'm just thinking outside the box.”

“Really?”

“Or perhaps it just runs in the family?”

“Why are you making jokes about this?”

“Because your smile is beautiful and there is no sweeter sound than your laugh.”

Ruby felt flustered and looked away from his gaze. She felt her cheeks grow hot and continued in hope of letting her blush fade. “It's just that she embarrassed me in front of my friends.”

“Actually I've been pondering about that for most of the day and I think I might have come up with why she did it.”

“Is this a joke or is it going to be serious?”

“I'm being serious here. I think that she’s doing this because she loves you.”

“I get that sisters are supposed to embarrass each other but I don’t think that this was like that.”

“Well, you and I both know that as of late you haven’t been in the best state of mind. When you found out who I was anyone with eyes could see that you were hurting. It hurt me to see you in so much pain and I have no doubt that your team felt the same. But unlike me they had no idea why their leader was so upset. Unless you’ve made up some lie to explain this to them I bet that they're worried out of their minds. What Yang is doing may be a way for you to tell her what was bothering you to prove her wrong so she could stop carrying around those clippers.”

She thought about that for a moment before saying “So you’re saying that in order to get her to stop I have to explain everything to them? That’s not going to work. What about you and having to keep your identity secret?”

“I’m not going to force you to tell them anything. But I think that it might be for the best if you told them something. I’ve brought enough havoc into your life I don’t want your relationship with your team to be harmed by my actions. You’ve got a good thing going here. Always keep that in mind.”

“So what do you think I should do?”

“What I would do if I was in your shoes is that I would throw me under the bus. I wouldn't tell them that I’m Torchwick but I'd come clean about our relationship.”

“Really? Even after all the time we've put into keeping this a secret?”

“How else are you going to explain such a drastic change?”

“I don’t know. I still think that this should stay secret.”

“As you wish. On the off chance that you do tell them could you please give me some heads up? I would like to prepare for the possible assault of your sister.”

Ruby had a short laugh before she asked the next question that popped into her head. “Why do feelings have to be so complicated?”

“You’re preaching to the choir here. Nothing is easy huh?”

“Yeah. I just feel jumbled.”

“You and me both.”

“We’re messes aren’t we?”

“Yeah.”

Ruby feeling as if he seemed a little distant asked “What’s on your mind?”

He sighed and said “Well I haven’t seen Neo since last night’s argument.”

“You keep on saying that she grabbed me to harm you. What fight did you get into with her to make her do something like that?”

“It’s probably for the best you don’t know.”

“Alright now I’m curious. What happened?”

“She referred that I was using you for something that I’m not.”

“What?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“I don’t care I’m too curious now.”

“Fine but before you jump away from me let the record state that I told you so.”

“Just tell me already.”

“She thought that I was using you for sex.”

Ruby jumped back from where he sat in one fluid motion from sitting by the tree to sitting by the branches. She was breathing fast and was staring at where he sat. He made no movements to get closer to her. The only difference she could tell was that he looked disappointed to no longer being close to her. “You-You’re not right?” She asked.

His face drooped as he said “It saddens me that you have to ask that. Of course I’m not. When have I ever tried to do something like that? Ever? Our argument was about me saying that there is more to love than physical attraction. I got ticked and called her crush her sex toy. That’s why she tried to get back at me and brought you into this. I’m sorry for getting you involved.”

Ruby was thankful that it was nothing more but then a thought crept into her head. She did not want to have this thought and froze in horror as she inadvertently spoke it out loud “So have you ever felt that way towards me?”

“It's crossed my mind I will admit that. But I know how to control myself and keep everything in check.”

Ruby sat there frozen in nervous fright over the fact that she asked such a question.

Seeing that she was not going to respond he said “No this is not on some to-do list in my head. If our relationship lasted long enough I was going to wait for you to bring up the topic whenever you felt you were ready. I would’ve also waited till you were at least eighteen even if you said you were ready earlier than that.”

A thought that had been haunting her for a while came up so she asked “And what if I never feel ready? What if I never want to do that kind of stuff with you or anyone?”  
“Then that is your decision to make. I love you for who you are. That includes your desire or lack of it. If you never wish to engage in sexual activity then I will respect that. It doesn't mean I'll love you any less.”

“Even if I'm asexual?”

“Of course. You're still you right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you're still the person I fell in love with. All that's changed is I just know a little more about you.”

Ruby felt a sweep of relief flow over her. She had gotten worried that after all they had gone through that this would be a deal breaker. Even though she felt relieved she still felt uncomfortable with the direction the conversation went. She knew that her unease was visible and saw Torchwick try to do his best to change the topic. “You know let's talk about something else. What would you like to talk about?”

“So you still don't remember that night when I found out about your identity?” She asked glumly.

“Unfortunately so. That was a blackout and I still have no recollection of what happened.”

“Alright…” Ruby said hearing the disappointment in her voice.

“Do you mind telling me everything that happened? If it would be too painful you don’t have to.”

“No. It’s for the best you know what happened.” With that Ruby began describing that night’s events. She included everything from when she first told him that she loved him, to his breakdown and even the process to which she proved his identity. When it was all over she breathed a deep sigh. Looking up she saw that he had face palmed himself.

“I’m quitting drinking.” He said bluntly.

“What?”

“Whenever I’ve drunk before and blacked out it resulted in just me doing dumb stuff and dumb things. I’ve never hurt someone before. The fact that I did that is something I can't forgive. If it can make me do something like that then I never want to drink again. I’ve made plenty of blunders in my life but this takes the cake. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Ruby saw how he was beating himself up over it and it looked pitiful. He looked like a kicked puppy. She got up from where she sat to sit next to him and pat his head. “It’s alright. You know what you did wrong and you’ve been making amends. Because of this I can forgive you.”

In a violent outburst he slammed his shaky fist on the ground. “HOW?! You keep forgiving me for so many things! How can you do it?! All I do is hurt the people I love! How can you stand me?!” He yelled as entire body shook in a silent cry.

Ruby felt her gut wrench. Even though she was still getting over what he had done she knew what she had to do. Ruby turned to face him and gave him the biggest hug she could. “I can forgive you because you know you’ve done wrong. Every time you make a mistake you learn from it and grow.”

“Even after all of my mistakes? I have so many I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.”

“Then use them as motivation to make things right.”

“Even if I worked to right my wrongs for my entire life I would never be able to compensate for all the pain and suffering I’ve caused. I’m so sorry. I’m nothing but a monster.”

“You’re forgetting something though. Even monsters can be good. Use the darkness surrounding you to make the light inside you shine even brighter. Besides you’re more than just any monster. You’re my monster, my red headed and kind hearted monster who is prone to making mistakes. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She could tell that he was doing his best not to cry. “If you need to cry then cry.” She said.

The indecision was evident on his face so she cupped his cheek to face her and said “I understand that you had to act tough in your childhood but you can stop now. You don’t have to follow the stereotype that guys have to be tough. Guys can feel pain too. Guys can hurt. Guys can cry. So stop bottling it up inside. You’re so afraid that the world is going to judge you but they’re not. I’m not going to judge you. I’ll care for you just as much if not more. So please don’t hide this from me. Please?”

She could see him slowly losing his battle to fight back until he finally broke. He wrapped his arms around her tight and held her close as he let his outburst of emotion take control. She hated to see him this way but she confirmed one thing in their conversation. Cobalt was Roman. Although they had different names they were the same man that she had fallen in love with. She could feel the tears and wounds slowly healing as their embrace continued. She could feel their bond mend itself and grow. While things may never quite be the same that never meant that their love could not grow and blossom into something greater. With that thought in mind she closed her eyes as a smile crept up on her face. She knew that everything was going to be alright.


	32. Some Time Alone

Ruby opened her dorm room to see it empty as expected. It took an extra week longer than she wanted it to but the weekend had finally come and everything was going according to plan. Her team had been cracking down on her in the last two weeks for anything and everything in hope of finding out what she was hiding. That included her daily excuses for leaving her team after classes. This meant that she was not able to spend as much time with Torchwick which led to her coming up with this plan.

“Of all places we could meet why here?” Torchwick asked looking confused.

“Well it's raining and your room has some bad lingering memories...”

“Here it is then. What project did you need help with again?”

Ruby hopped up onto the edge of her bed and fumbled with the brim of her pajama shirt. "I didn't really have a project due.” She admitted.

“Then you lied to your team so they would watch a movie without you? Naughty girl.”

Ruby felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She threw her pillow at him and said “I didn't mean it like that!”

He caught the projectile and smiled his trademark grin. “Of course you didn't. Only someone as blissfully innocent as you could do something like this without those intentions.” He said throwing the pillow back at her.

Ruby fueled by the need to beat him said “I'm not that innocent you know.”

He walked over and joined her sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned his head in close to hers and said suggestively “Oh really? Then prove it to me.” 

She had to admit that he was playing his game rather well. But she spent enough time with him to know what to do to win. She closed the gap between them and brushed her lips up against his. Just as she seemed like she would close the kiss she hopped down and walked over to their bookshelf pretending that nothing happened.

“What the hell was that?” He asked bluntly.

“It's called I win.” She responded giving him a smirk of her own.

“You cheated.”

“And you haven't?”

“Touché. Anyways what did you have planned for this evening?” He said getting up to join her.

“I've got games!” Ruby said excitedly as she sat down and pulled out their games that her team kept in the back of the bookshelf.

“I'm not a big fan of board games. Got any cards?”

“Sure. What game do you want to play?”

“Blackjack.”

“Oh no. I don't know how to count cards but I'm pretty sure you do. I'm not playing Blackjack.”

“Fine. What do you want to play?”

“Speed.”

“Ah ah ah. I'm not falling for any tricks. You would have an advantage with your semblance.”

“And you would count cards if we played Blackjack.”

They glared into each other's eyes studying each other and trying to predict the other’s next move. Ruby saw something glisten in his eyes and she knew an idea popped into his head. “Is this a declaration of ‘War’?” He asked with a playful smile.

Ruby filled with allure for the game, pointed at him and said “Yes but let it be known that on this day it was you who attacked first! Prepare to be destroyed!”

“Ha! Your House of Lancaster is nothing compared to the mighty forces of the Holy Roman Empire!”

“Under the crest of the red rose, your evil forces shall be destroyed.”

“Your soldiers shall fall to the glory of the Holy Empire.”

“Like your empire could be holy?”

“I beg to differ. My syndicate happens to hold a high amount of honor.”

Ruby sat next to the bookshelf and just looked down at the pack of cards. All of her excitement felt sucked out at once. She was looking forward to playing with him until he brought up his syndicate. Sometimes it was so easy to forget who he really was. Bells and whistles were blaring off in her head telling her that she should turn him in right then and there. Even though she knew that she should, she also knew that she would never do so. The cruel, corrupt, and merciless Roman Torchwick was one thing. This was in a whole other ballpark. The man standing before her was a person. A person with feelings and emotions. A person who did what he had to do to survive even if what he did was wrong.

“Are you alright? I'm sorry if I brought up a bad topic.” He said sitting right beside her.

“It's alright. Sometimes it's just hard to remember who you really are.”

“Looks can be deceiving can't they?”

“Yeah. It just makes everything so complicated though. Why do we have to be on different sides?”

“Because life never wants to make anything easy. But I like a challenge. It makes things exciting.” He said putting his arm around her and pulling her into a hug. She was amazed how a couple of months ago being near Torchwick sickened her but now nothing made her feel more at home than being in his arms. She leaned into him and buried her face in his neck. “Are you sure you're alright?” He asked.

“I'm just thinking about how much has changed in such a short time. Two months ago I saw you as nothing more than scum of the planet. Now it's hard to imagine life without you.”

“And I with you.”

“It's just really nice to have you here. Thank you.”

“I'm here because I want to be. There's no need to thank me for anything. I'm more deserving of curses than thanks.” After a short and uncomfortable silence he said “You know let's change the topic. You wanted to play some cards so let's do that. I assume that War is alright with you?”

“Yeah that's fine.” Ruby got up and shuffled the cards. Right before she started she said “How about we make this more interesting?”

“What are you implying?”

“The winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. Keeping things appropriate of course.”

“Of course.” He said slyly. She saw him scratch his chin while he sat there thinking for a few seconds. “Sure. This will be fun.” He said with his signature smirk.

* * *

“How in the blazes did you beat me?!” He cried throwing his cards to the floor. Ruby looked at him to mock his smirk and said “I won fair and square. Now pay up.”

“Fine. But tell me how you won first. You had to be cheating.”

“You know me. I don't cheat at anything.”

“You had to because I was cheating myself and I still lost.”

“What?! Why were you cheating?”

“Oh you could say I had an ace up my sleeve. Besides it's second nature to me.”

“You know what they say. Cheaters never win.”

“That isn't true in the slightest. If it was I would be rotting in a ditch.”

“You still lost.” Ruby said crossing her arms.

Torchwick rolled his eyes and said “Ugh. Fine. What did you have in mind?”

Ruby smiled knowing that she would enjoy this. “I'm gonna call you Ginger Snaps.”

His eyes bulged out of his head while he stared at her for a solid minute. “Hell… No…”

“Why not?” Ruby complained. “It's cute.”

Roman stood up so he could stretch his legs and said “That may be so but I'm not cute. I'm handsome, masculine and suave.”

Ruby stood up and put her hand on her hip. “When did you ever have any of those qualities?”

He slowly turned towards her and said “You've spent too much time around me.”

“That may be so but you're still cute.”

“Even with this horrendous scar on my face?” He asked gesturing to where Cardin’s mace struck him. 

Ruby closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him bringing him into a hug. “Even more with that scar.”

“But it's ugly.”

“I think it's beautiful.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because it's true.”

“It looks disgusting. It's a sign of weakness and inferiority.”

“It's a sign of you caring about another person over yourself. That's why it's beautiful.” 

He thought about that for a good minute before he brought his arms around her and returned her embrace. He chuckled and said “What a peculiar pair we make huh? Of all people in this world I never expected that I would fall for you.”

“And I you.”

“It's times like these that make everything worth it. Thanks for giving me another chance Red.”

Ruby grumbled “You're welcome but you know I don't like being called Red.”

“And I don't like being called Ginger Snaps but we don't all get what we want in life now do we? I'll stop calling you Red when you stop calling me Ginger Snaps.”

“You play dirty.”

“Whatever it takes to win.”

“Yes but I've got a trump card.”

“One to beat my ace of spades?”

“Yup.”

“And what might that be?”

“This.” Ruby looked up and stared into his eyes. Wrapping a hand around his neck she took her other and cupped his cheek. She let her lips hover by his but this time she closed the distance between them and kissed him. She could feel her heart race. Time slowed down to a standstill. It held a new excitement to it. It was as if this was her first kiss all over again and in a way it was. This was the first time she had kissed him since finding out who he was. To her it represented more than just feelings. It was a new beginning. It was her way of saying that even after knowing all he had done and who he was, she would accept him. It was her way of saying that she still loved him. 

Eventually she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. They shined with clarity more beautiful than all the emeralds in the world. They radiated with his love and compassion. “I win.” She whispered.

He smiled and said “That may be so but I consider myself the winner in this situation.”

“We'll see if you still say that after our next game.”

“Same rules apply?”

“Double or nothing.”

“You're on.”

* * *

Half an hour later they were both lying underneath the covers in Ruby’s bed with Ruby laying on top of Torchwick. Her book of fairy tales was open and lying on top of their stomachs. They had turned off the lights and Ruby was holding a flashlight on the pages. “Do I really have to do this?” He asked after breathing an annoyed sigh.

“You lost again so you're reading the fairy tale whether you want to or not.”

“Fine. Once upon a shitty time…”

“Ginger Snaps it doesn't start like that.”

“Really? I swear that's what I saw when I first read it.”

“Torchwick…”

“Fine, fine. Once upon a non-shitty time…” He continued on with the story. It was one of her personal favorites. She loved hearing his voice and he read it beautifully. His pacing was perfect and he would never stutter. She had found out before that he was never told any fairy tales as a kid. Now the two of them could create a special memory together of the first time he read a fairy tale. As the story progressed his sarcastic comments became less and less frequent until they were nonexistent. When he finished he closed the book and set it down next to them. “Happily ever after? I've heard those words so many times but they were used with sarcasm. This was different. That was… Nice. I can see where you got your moral code though.”

Ruby clicked off the flashlight and rolled over so that her stomach was on his. Now she could face him and see his face lit by a crack of moonlight sneaking through the blinds. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. This was fun though. It's nice to be able to spend so much time with you.”

“Ugh. My team has been so overprotective lately that they hardly let me out of their sight.”

“I know that you're annoyed but you should keep in mind how lucky you are to have friends who care that much for you. People like that are hard to come by.”

“I know. I just wish I could spend more time with you.”

“I do too but I consider myself lucky to see you as much as I am. I love you.” He said starting to stroke his hand through her hair.

“I know.” Ruby rested her head on his chest while she thought to herself. She wanted to say it back. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same. She could not tell what it was but something was holding her back. But she knew that nothing would change if she did not take any risks. Going against every instinct telling her no, she called him by his first name for the first time. “Roman…”

“Yes?”

“I… I love you too.” 

His stroking of her hair paused briefly then continued. She could hear his heartbeat race as he said “Thank you Ruby. You don't know how much that means to me.”

Then it clicked in her mind. The reason she wanted to hold back was because she was afraid. She was afraid of causing what happened last time when she told him how she felt. Last time he went on a rampage which led to his confession of his identity. But he was alright this time. He was safe. This thought slowly brought tears to her eyes.

Ruby felt him cup her face and made her look at him. He asked “Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

Sniffling a little Ruby said “Nothing's wrong. I'm just so happy. I'm so happy that you're safe. I'm so happy that you didn't react like the last time I said those words.”

He brought his head up to kiss her lightly. “I'm truly sorry about that. But know that I'm doing a lot better now. And it's all thanks to you. You're the reason I'm now who I am. Words can never express how much that, and you, mean to me. I love you Ruby. I love you so much.”

Ruby could not help herself anymore. The tears started flowing and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Roman whispered softly “Ruby there is no need to cry. I'm right here-”

He did not have time to finish before Ruby scooted up and kissed him. She would lightly press her lips against his for a few seconds before pulling away just enough to breathe before enveloping herself in a kiss once more. He let her set the pace by never applying more pressure than she would give and she was thankful. With one hand she held on to his shoulder and with the other she started to stroke his hair. At the same time he started massaging her back and sides which made everything much more blissful.

It was not like one of those fiery make out scenes that Yang had always described but she did not care. Everything felt electric and exhilarating. She could feel herself getting lost in the feelings that swept through her. She wanted it all to continue as long as it could. Between every kiss the two of them would mutter “I love you”. 

Ruby felt like her words could never express the pure volume of emotions she felt so she would always return the kiss hoping it could do a little justice. Every time their lips touched she thought of a future where the two of them could be free to live together and be happy. Where every day she spent with him was the greatest in her life. Every time their lips broke she was reminded that this vision was reality. That all this was really happening. That she was his and he was hers. With him the outside world did not matter and the two of them were submerged into their own little universe. She never wanted this feeling to end. She could only describe it as ecstasy.

But then Roman suddenly stopped. All hand and facial movement stopped; he even froze mid-kiss. Ruby started to slow down in fear that she did something wrong. She still kept her eyes closed but asked between soft kisses “Why did you stop?” He gave no response. With one last loving kiss she asked “Ginger Snaps what's wrong?” She then looked into his eyes to see that they were lit up. She could not tell where they were looking but they were not looking at her. Then she realized something. In the time that had passed the crack of moonlight had moved. It was no longer even on his face, let alone his eyes anymore. This meant that the light was coming from another source. Just as she put two and two together she heard her name.

“Ruby?”

It most certainly was not Roman and had come from behind her. Goosebumps covered her skin as she slowly turned around hoping and praying that it was not what she thought it was. Ruby gasped when her head turned to see her sister standing in the doorway with a face of pure terror.

There Yang was standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them being the most intimate they had ever been. The lights were off, they were in Ruby’s bed, and the blankets were covering enough to block all signs of the two of them wearing clothing. Ruby looked into Yang’s eyes in fear. Yang’s only response was a cross between a scream and a shout. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cue maniacal laughter*


	33. Three Angry Teenagers

That was the moment that Roman knew, he fucked up.

Everything had been going so well. He was finally able to spend some quality time with Ruby and did not think he could feel happier. He was surprised by how much he actually enjoyed the fairy tale too. But what made the most of it all was a small phrase he was not expecting to hear.

_“I… I love you too.”_

It was exceptionally difficult to contain his excitement as he wished to have a similar reaction to Ruby on a sugar high. Though he was finally able to release this energy when her lips touched his.

To describe it in a single word would euphoria. He had to remind himself that this was real and not some fantasy. Careful to not mess it up he let Ruby take the lead. He did not know what she considered too much and did not want to cross any boundaries. Meanwhile, he was enjoying himself tremendously. He had missed her small kisses the past two weeks and she seemed intent on making up for it all. But each one meant so much more. She had come to accept who he was and still loved him. He could finally love her unconditionally and she would do the same. Everything came together to forge a memory he would never forget. 

The problem was when he heard a small click over the sounds of their breathing and the occasional soft moan. Opening his eyes he looked over and what he saw chilled him to the bone. Ruby’s sister Yang was standing frozen in the doorway. He tried to tell Ruby to stop but nothing would come out. He was petrified. All he could do was lie there in horror having to watch his soon to be murderer get angrier and angrier.

“Why did you stop?” He heard Ruby ask. Her voice sent shivers down his spine. She sounded so sweet but he still had to lay there and watch his grave be dug before him. He wished that he could say or do something to get Ruby to realize that she was not helping things.

“Ginger Snaps what's wrong?” He hated that nickname. It was stupid and childish. Now of course her sister knew about it too. He saw the gears turning in Ruby’s head as she began to understand just what kind of situation they got themselves into. He heard Ruby’s name being called out and watched as she slowly turned to see her sister. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Yang screamed. 

He watched Blake and Weiss walk into the doorway behind Yang and echo her statement of confusion.

He now knew that he was not walking out of the room alive. From the looks of things, especially with how far up the blanket was and Ruby’s sleeveless pajama shirt, it looked like they were having sex. Her entire team was blocking the only exit and there was no way even he could lie his way out of this one. It was check and mate.

“Blake… Weiss… Where did you hide my hedge clippers?” Yang asked in a suspiciously calm voice.

Blake never removing her gaze said “They're in a locked trunk under my bed.” 

“Weiss what's the code?” 

“4256” She muttered.

“Thank you. Do I have permission from both of you?”

“Yes.” They said simultaneously.

“Well now. This is going to be fun.” Yang said with a smile.

He felt his heart sink to his stomach. That was it. He had accepted his fate. He was going to die.

Ruby rolled off of him but neglected to move the blanket. “Yang it's not what it looks like!”

“Ruby how could you? You're fifteen!”

“It's not like that!”

“Wait til Dad hears about this.”

“Please no! Let me explain!”

“You better start talking because right now it looks like the two of you were fucking.”

By this point something clicked inside Roman. Yes he was scared out of his mind but if he did not do something then things would only get worse. “Just throw off the goddamn blanket already.” He muttered. She swiftly followed his advice.

“See we're fully clothed! We weren't doing anything!”

“It sure looked like you were doing something! Get up!”

They did what the fuming sister commanded. They stood by the window holding their hands in the air while the returning party interrogated them. 

“When did this become a thing? I thought you two disliked each other. Didn't you call her a whore?” Weiss snapped at Roman.

“That was a cover up so you wouldn't be suspicious.” Ruby defended.

“So you lied to us? You went behind our backs! How could you?!

“I only did so because I was afraid you all would react like you're doing right now.” Ruby muttered trying to avoid their gaze.

Yang scowled at the two of them. “That is no excuse young lady. But first I need to take out the trash. Shoo shoo. Get out of here and don't come back.” She said clippers in hand and snipping the air a few times for good measure.

Roman started to grind his teeth. “I'm not a dog that you can just kick around. I'm not leaving.”

“Either you can leave or your manhood is. Your choice.” Yang spat redirecting the location of the clippers.

“I'm not going to abandon Ruby to whatever torment you're going to give her for this. Do any of you have any idea what you're doing? I get that you're pissed but this seems to be a bit much.”

Weiss glared at him and remarked “You sure can talk considering that you were trying to have your way with her.”

“I’m not using Ruby. In no way is our relationship physical and it is completely consensual!”

“You sure looked like you were getting physical.” Weiss responded never letting her glare leave him.

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“Which is why we're not trusting you.” Interjected Blake.

Roman stared at his newest challenger with a knowing glare and said “And you've got a lot of ground to talk about trusting others.” 

He saw something ignite in the faunus’s eyes. “We're her team! She's supposed to tell us everything!”

“Can you all stop yelling?” Ruby muttered weakly. Roman looked down to see tears starting to form in her eyes. A fire lit inside him. He could feel his heart rate increase and hear the grinding of his own teeth. He did not care what they did to him but hurting Ruby was out of the question. He opened his arms up to her and she hugged him holding him tight. He could tell from her sniffling and the wet spot on his shirt that she was doing her best to stop herself from crying.

“You be quiet little missy we'll be with you in just a minute.” Her sister snapped.

“Can't you see you're hurting her?!” 

“Shut up you piece of trash. I'm sickened by the fact that she could see something in you.”

“Can you all just shut up and let me speak?!”

“There is nothing for you to say. She betrayed us.” Weiss said switching her death glare to Ruby.

“I SAID SHUT UP!” He screamed. Fire pumped through his veins as he sent the room into a strange and unnatural silence. He started speaking slowly and clearly while trying to stifle his anger.

“This is cruel. Did you all ever wonder why she never told you in the first place, why you're finding out now, why the first _damn_ thing we agreed on after we became a couple was to hide it? Huh? Did you? It's because she was scared to death of your reactions because you all treat her like a child who has to be protected at all times. I understand your desire to keep her as innocent as she is but for God sakes let her live a little. She's a growing young woman who can make her own decisions. The reason we kept this secret was because she was afraid that you all would be complete jackasses about this like you are right now.”

“HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!” Yang screamed. “After mom died I had to step up and play the mother for her! Do you have any idea how hard that is?! I'm her older sister and it is my duty to protect her! You wouldn't understand you sick freak!”

“I understand more than you ever would! Unlike me, you didn't have to watch your little sister be murdered right in front of your eyes! I had to sit there and watch her die while knowing that I was to blame because of what I had done to protect her!”

“Why do you think I'm trying to protect her?! I'm trying to prevent you from being with her so that she can be safe from you!”

“She doesn't need to be safe from me! I would never intentionally harm her!”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I love her! I love her more than myself and I would die and kill for her if I had to!”

“These are just lies so you can get her body!”

“Was me taking a mace to the face a lie?! Was it?! Was me almost dying and being in a coma in the hospital for days a lie?! I love her and she loves me and there is nothing that you can do about it! I'm sorry we kept this hidden. I'm sorry that you walked in on the most intimate we had ever been. But don't expect Ruby to be crawling to you about something like love after how overprotective you've been. Sometimes we all need some guidance, especially with the topic of love. If you instill fear into the idea of asking for help it is only natural for her to go looking for her own. Which before you argue against it look at the hedge clippers in your hands. The only person to blame as to why she didn't come to you is yourself. Now I don't care what kind of shit you all give me for this but don't be mad at Ruby. She's been through enough recently and she needs your support not your shit.”

After a stare down between Roman and Yang, she glared coldly at her sister and said “You two. Are breaking up. Now.”

“Yang please no!” Ruby cried.

“Like it's in your authority to do something like that? You can't turn on and off feelings like they're a light switch.” Roman spat.

“I don't care. Whatever you two have is over.” Yang repeated.

Ruby sniffled. “Please don't do this to me.”

“It's him or us. Your choice.”

“Please? Please don't make me choose? Why?”

Blake interjected and said “You made it this way when you first lied to us. If you've been hiding this affair you're having then how are we supposed to trust you?”

“I haven't slept with him!”

“How are we supposed to trust you when you say that after what we just saw? After walking in on that display. Especially when dealing with somebody like _him_. So what'll it be?”

With Ruby began crying into Roman's shirt again it was getting harder and harder for him to hold back his rage. “This is the biggest load of fucking bullshit I have ever heard! And trust me I have heard a lot! You're a team and you're supposed to be there for each other! What kind of choice is this?!”

Weiss joined in saying “This is her punishment. So Ruby what will it be? Him or us?” 

“I'll be damned before I let you do this to her. I'm not going to sit around while you drag her through hell for wanting to have a love life!”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“I'll do whatever it takes but I'm not going to let you separate the two of us!”

Ruby softly said “I'm sorry but I can't choose. I just can't. Please get me out of this.”

It took every ounce of willpower not to strangle the three of them right there on the spot. He could not imagine how much pain Ruby had to be in right now. This situation was getting worse and worse and they would not listen to his logic. He needed to get her out of there, away from these three so they could all take a breather and try this again. “Come on Ruby let's go.”

Blake said “Hey! You don't get to make her decisions for her!”

“Considering I'm not the ones who drove her to tears I say that I have more authority to judge her best interests than you.”

“This is her choice to make not yours.”

“Look I was hoping sometime to get closer with all of you and we might have been friends eventually. Now I don't want that smudge of grime on my record. You all can go fuck yourselves. The fact that you're doing this to your own friend and family sickens me. So yeah it's not my choice to make. It's a choice that she never should've been given in the first place.”

With that he pushed them out of the way taking Ruby with him. After slamming the door behind him he hugged Ruby tight and whispered “I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I'm sure they'll come around eventually. I'll make sure of it.”

“What's the point? They hate me now.”

“They don't hate you. It's me who they dislike. I admit that I haven't acted my best around them. I'm sorry that this happened. Don't worry though because I'll do everything in my power to make things right again. I promise. Ruby?” 

She brought her head up slowly. She was still sniffling but his shirt had absorbed most of the tears. “What?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I don't think you should sleep in your dorm room tonight. There's too much hostility and we need to give them some time to calm down. Your welcome to stay at my place or we can ask team JNPR. I'm sure they would be willing to take you if you don't feel comfortable with the idea of-”

“No.” She interrupted. “I want to stay with you tonight.” 

He was kind of surprised but was not going to argue. “As you wish.”

The two of them walked to his room in the dimmed light of the after curfew lights. The entire way there was silent. There was not much more to say. Both of them just wanted the day to end. He made sure that she was never alone for very long. Saying that he was worried for her was an understatement. He knew that when her team found out about them that it would be bad but he could never have dreamed for it to end in such a disaster. There had to have been something else behind this. He had talked to her team before and they would never be so harsh and mean without something seriously wrong. Something that he was going to find out if it was the death of him. 

He heard the toilet flush and Ruby came out walking slowly. He could see the pain clearly written on her face. Acting on instinct he got up from the bed and hugged her as hard as he could. He knew that it would not make up for what happened but he wanted her to know that he was not going to give up. He was going to make things right. 

“Do you want to sleep in a separate bed or with me?” He asked.

“With you.” She said in a barely audible whisper. She left his embrace and plopped down on the closest bed to her.

He crept into bed after her pulling the covers over both of them. She was facing the wall so he laid next to her spooning. He could feel her snuggle up next to him pressing their bodies together. “Try to get some sleep. It’ll all be better tomorrow.” He said placing his arm around her waist and holding her close. He planned on staying awake until he was sure that she was asleep.

But she would not rest. She would squirm every few minutes and he could tell that she was not comfortable. After a while he whispered “What's wrong?”

She turned around to face him and still had lingering tears in her eyes. “I'm sorry.” She muttered.

“What? No. No you didn't do anything wrong. You're not to blame for this.”

After a few shallow breaths she said “Yes I am. Because of the story I told them to dislike you they've been only looking at the few bad stuff you do. They all hate you. And now they hate me.”

“Don't say things like that. They don't hate you-”

“Yes they do! I couldn't have ever imagined it going that bad. Why else would they act so mean?”

He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and gently cupped her cheek. He gave her a soft kiss before he said “Because they aren't thinking straight. Nobody in their right mind would ever act like that. There's something else going on that upset them and you took the blunt of it. You didn't deserve that.”

Her eyes drifted towards the pillow. “I had planned tonight to be fun. I never wanted this. What am I supposed to do? They're my team. I love them all but… But I love you. I don't know if they'd accept that.”

He thought about that for a moment. “Do you think we should get outside help? A form of moderator?”

She hesitated. “I don't like it but it might be best.”

He could still see her hurting. He leaned his face in even closer and gently asked “Do you remember what I promised you?”

“That you'll fix things?”

“Exactly. And I will. By the time you wake everything will be ready, but I know that doesn't ease things right now. I just want to remind you that I'm here for you. I'll support you in every way. I'll do my best to keep you safe. No matter what you're feeling you never have to feel like you have to hide anything. I love you and I want to do everything imaginable to give you the best life you could ever have. But right now you need your rest. Alright?”

She gave a small smile before snuggling closer and resting her head against his neck and chest. “Alright then. I love you too Ginger Snaps. Goodnight.”

He could feel her shake as she tried to stifle her chuckle at the mention of his nickname. Grumbling at the accursed name, he closed his eyes and waited till he felt her breathing slow into the steady rhythm of sleep. Only then did he permit himself to rest.

* * *

Ruby’s favorite part of the following morning was waking up next to Roman and having some early morning cuddles. Everything went downhill from there though.

Roman apparently was an early riser that morning as he told her while she was waking up the plan for the morning. He had left early to find a moderator and after some “convincing” as he put it, he came back to bed to be there when she woke. That was fine except for whom he got to be their moderator. Ozpin. It had to be Ozpin. 

When Ruby finally got up she did so grudgingly only to earn herself one of Roman's smirks. She needed to make herself look presentable so she did what she could with the limited supplies she had. There was plenty of hair products, enough that she thought that he was overdoing it, but no change of clothes. When she asked Roman about this he told her not to worry. He brought to her attention how he was still wearing his own pajamas. Ruby then asked “But why are you going to a meeting with Ozpin in pajamas? It's kind of embarrassing.”

“In the rush to escape that cesspit that became your room we neglected to get you spare clothes. I'm not having you be singled out by being the only one at a meeting in pajamas. Besides it's not that informal. A black long sleeve shirt and pants isn't that bad.”

“Oh. Thank you I guess. But what if someone sees us?”

“I doubt anyone is going to stumble upon us at this hour.”

“Wait, what time is it?”

“Six.”

“Why did you wake me up so early?” She groaned.

“Because I wanted to schedule a meeting as fast as I could. This is a problem that we need to take by the horns. The longer we wait the worse it will get.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Are you nervous? You're shaking a little.”

“I'm just a little cold that's all.”

“Ruby… Your poker face is failing again…”

“Fine, so I'm a little nervous. They were all just so angry. I'm scared because they were trying to make me choose between you or them.”

“Are you afraid because they asked that or your answer?”

“I'm afraid of the fact that I don't have an answer. I can't choose.”

“Don't worry about it. I scheduled this meeting specifically to prevent such a question from being forced upon you.”

“Why did you have to get Ozpin involved? He has better things to do than work on stuff like this.”

“If this was normal life out there in the city then I would be able to pull a few strings and get things fixed. Unfortunately this involves a bunch of agitated teenage girls in a school where they learn everything they need to kill people like me. Add in their resistance to listen to reason and something that was bothering them before they even walked in on us, and we now have a _very dangerous situation_. I'd rather not take my chances. Although Ozpin scares me a little he seems like a very respectable man and I have no doubt that he will not leave this dispute unsolved.”

“Alright.”

“Are you ready to go?”

“As I'll ever be.”

The closer they got to the elevator the more nervous Ruby felt. She was afraid and embarrassed and wanted to crawl up into a ball and hide. She knew that he was right though: this had to get solved as soon as possible. She just wished it did not get so out of hand. She was comforted somewhat by Roman going with her. At least she would not be alone in this fight. She felt something touch her hand and she looked down to see what it was. Roman’s fingers lay intertwined with her own and he gave her hand a small squeeze. Looking back up she saw him give her a reassuring smile. The entire way there was silent as nothing needed to be said. He was able to help her with her anxiety until they entered the elevator.

Ruby began to panic and attempted to press every button only to have her hand be stopped by Roman’s. He said in a calm and soothing voice “Everything's going to be fine. This is just like a band-aid. It's going to hurt for a little bit and then think of the relief you'll feel when it's over.”

“That doesn't mean it's going to hurt any less.”

“I know… I'm sorry that things have led to this situation but know I'm here for you. I'll do whatever you want me to while we're here. Everything's going to be alright. Trust me. Do you want a kiss for good luck?”

“Sure.” They gave each other a quick peck but their lips lingered afterwards. She was reminded even in the short second that their lips connected how when she was with him it was like they were in their own universe. No angry sisters, no threatening crime lord bosses, just blissful peace and tranquility. With her anxiety levels rising again she felt the desire for that feeling again and kissed him back. As the kiss lingered on she started to forget about the world around them and the fact that they were on an elevator.

“Ahem.” Ruby heard someone cough. Ruby’s eyes burst open to see Roman’s holding just as much surprise as her own. Their eyes darted to the side and saw the elevator doors wide open. Inside the other attendees for the meeting were waiting and staring at the two of them having their moment. Ruby could feel the heat of her blush and had no doubt that it was putting her cloak to shame. Her fight or flight instincts were blowing sirens and whistles at her to run but she had nowhere to go. The most she could accomplish was to hide behind Roman and stare at her feet. She felt Roman join his hand with hers and lead her slowly off the elevator. She was reluctant to follow but she knew that the sooner this was over with the better. She was led to a seat to which she promptly sat down and shut her eyes waiting for it to be over. She felt Roman squeeze her hand once to remind her that he was there. 

She heard Ozpin speak up and say “Ruby don't be too hard on yourself. I've seen much worse public displays of affection than that.”

Ruby peeked open one eye to see Ozpin have a small smile creep onto his face. He did not look angry at all which eliminated one cause of her worry. Ruby in a sudden burst of courage was bold enough to look over at her team. Yang was the calmest of them all looking like she had calmed down from enraged to mildly miffed. Weiss looked pretty ticked but Blake's silent death stare almost killed her on the spot.

“Since everyone is here let's begin by setting up some rules.” Ozpin said after taking a sip from his mug. “My purpose here is to serve as a moderator as part of Mr. Cyan’s request. I can't force anyone to agree on anything. That is something you all must do on your own. But please be respectful. That means no outlandish comments or interrupting. Perhaps you Ms. Rose would like to start us off?”

“I-I-I don't really know what to do…” Ruby stuttered.

“Then perhaps another method would be more effective. Normally I let the students solve matters such as this on their own. But some require more… Finesse. I woke this morning to find the first person waiting in my office was none other than this young man over here concerned about the structural integrity of your team. You all have been some of my best pupils but never have I heard of such fighting among yourselves.”

Blake spoke up while glaring daggers at Roman. “With all due respect sir this isn't just a little squabble. How are we supposed to trust her if she has been keeping this many secrets from us?”

“Yes but sometimes keeping something a secret is the best course of action.”

“She's been hiding that she's been seeing him of all people. He's nothing but a lousy degenerate.”

“Do keep in mind that all students here whether native or visiting earned their place in the four main academies. We accept people from all walks of life and I do not appreciate you referring to one in such a manner.”

Blake was about to go on but once she saw the glares she was receiving from the other participants she closed her mouth and crossed her arms.

“I remember back when I was your age. Matters such as these always got out of hand in more ways than one. So let's try to apply some logic to the situation. Try discussing this among yourselves one at a time in a calm and welcoming manner.”

Ruby saw her three teammates all snap their heads at her and start yelling questions over one another in a gradually growing volume. Ruby sunk into her chair not wanting to face them. Looking away she saw Ozpin turn towards Roman and say “I see why you brought me into this.” 

Ozpin then stood up, grabbed his cane, and slammed it down on the ground. A crack of thunder rang out as the room was brought to a swift and sudden silence. As soon as the echo faded he said in a slightly sterner tone “I said in a calm and welcoming manner.” He put the cane away and sat down once more after picking up his mug again. 

They all sat there in silence as they looked at him for any cues. Finding none, Ruby decided it would be best if she explained as much as she could. She stared at the ground while she said “I want to apologize. I'm sorry I lied. It's just…” Ruby paused feeling the words get caught up in her throat. “I-I-I feel like I'm suffocating.”

“Are you alright? What's hurting? Is something wrong?” Her team questioned in turns looking over at her.

“Yes! Yes something is wrong! I'm sitting here having to testify for wanting to live! You're making me choose between all of you and Cobalt and I can't choose! Just because you all don't like him doesn't mean that you can force me to stop loving him!”

Blake yelled “You're fifteen! You don't know what love is yet!”

“How do you know?! Huh?! I'm not a little girl anymore and I don't need to be protected! I live my own life and make my own choices!”

Weiss interjected saying “You are being blinded by him! He's using you!”

“Never once has he made any move like that on me! No I'm not being blinded by him. I know more about him than you ever will and you don't have the right to judge him because of that.”

Yang said “You're supposed to be the supper optimistic and cheerful team leader. Once he came around we've seen how you've been acting. He isn't good for you.”

“Have you ever considered this?! That maybe I'm not quite the happy-go-lucky girl everyone believes me to be? That it's just a mask because I know that this world isn't a fairy tale? Do _NOT_ mistake my innocence for ignorance. I'm well aware of the countless horrors that surround us. There is so much pain and suffering that we all go through in life that we never should. When mom died I was well aware of what happened. But every time I would ask you all you would say was that she'll be back tomorrow. I'm sick and tired of all these empty promises. Mom promised that she would come back. You promised me that you would never lie to me. You both broke those years ago. You and dad didn't know how to react when I was upset over anything. Sure if there was one bad experience you could fix it but if I started to show signs of anything relating to depression what would you do? Nothing! You kept on pretending like nothing happened, like nothing was wrong. You tried to mother me but you can't seem to get it through your head that you're not mom and you can NEVER be mom! You forced yourself to play that part thus locking me into playing the innocent child. I could never fully be myself. I was afraid of everything that makes me who I am because it did not fit the role I was given to play!

Then I met Cobalt. I could see that he was suffering because he too was afraid of his real self. When I was finally able to get him to be who he really was I fell in love with him. But while I helped him he also helped me. For the first time that I can recall I had someone who wouldn't judge me based off of what they had seen. He treated me like I'm an actual person. We've been there for each other and have been able to be free from what society tells us to be. Yes I knew it would hurt more but at least I could feel human again and less like a doll.

And now… Now that I finally have someone to be myself with you want to take them away from me? Just like how if I ever get attached to something it always gets taken away. News flash, the world isn't perfect and neither is he. Neither am I or any of you. So on what authority do you have to choose how I live my life?!”

Ruby by this point was suddenly aware of what she was doing. Tears were streaming down her face as she was standing over her team. They were all looking at her with a mixture of fear and confusion as if she was some kind of alien. She could not describe what came over her. Her anger had been building and she had finally snapped. She did not mean to say what she did; it just came out. 

While she tried to calm her heavy breathing she felt arms gently wrap around her waist. She looked up to see Roman holding her against his chest. His eyes were closed and he still remained silent. He was not being forceful in any way and she could tell that the gesture was his way of consoling her without sparking outrage from her team. Ruby closed her eyes trying to concentrate on the soothing contact.

She heard Ozpin break the silence first. “In situations such as these it is unfair of you all to force her to make such a decision.”

Blake responded with unwavering hostility. “So you're taking her side?”

“There shouldn't be any sides. You’re all a team and should be working together.”

“She lied-”

“I am aware of that. But don't you think that you're punishing her enough already?”

Weiss directed her question at Ruby and asked “Can you at least explain why you kept this secret?”

“I was afraid that you would do what you're doing right now.”

Blake began to question Roman. “Why haven't you said anything yet?”

“I've found that if I open my mouth in times like this then I'll just make things worse. My words will betray me but my actions will not.

“I'm sorry.” Yang muttered. That got Ruby’s attention. She opened her eyes again to see her sister staring at the ground in a way that her hair blocked her eyes. Even though Yang’s eyes were not visible her frame shook slightly as she was doing her best to hold back any tears. “I'm sorry that I made you feel like that. I was just doing what I thought was best. I'm so sorry that you suffered because of me.”

Ruby walked forward and broke her hug with Roman to give her sister a hug. “It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. After a while I got it stuck in my head that you were doing this on purpose and I felt a little betrayed. I don't hold anything against you.”

“I'm sorry. I kept treating you like a child when you had already grown up. When you needed my support the most I let you down. I completely overreacted.”

“It's alright. You didn't mean to and I know that you only did it because you love me and wanted to protect me.”

“I should've given you the benefit of the doubt. You're old enough that you should be able to choose who you want to date. While I still don't like him I will accept him. He risked his life to save yours after all. If he makes you happy then I don't want to interfere. But if he hurts you then I hurt him.”

“Deal.”

Weiss interrupted the touching moment and asked “While I understand what you feel, that doesn't excuse the fact that this Cobalt is a cold hearted ne’er-do-well. He's done nothing but slack off and skip school.”

Ozpin went to his defense saying “Yes Mr. Cyan was struggling at the beginning of this year but he is now at the top of his class. Is absences have been for logical reasons whether that being he was sick or that he tragically lost one of his fellow teammates.”

Ruby still hugging Yang turned to face Weiss and said “He also helped out with the aiding the refugees of the riots. He personally volunteered to watch over the day care center. He has a kind heart if you give him enough of a chance to show it.”

Roman who based off of the direction of his voice was sitting down again said “Funny you should accuse me of being cold hearted, Ice Queen.”

Weiss crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Fine. Just know I'm watching you like a hawk. You do one thing to Ruby and it'll cost you dearly.”

“I saw the hedge clippers. I understand what's at stake.”

Ozpin lightly remarked saying “Speaking of hedge clippers, Ms. Xiao Long I would appreciate it if you stopped carrying those with you into classes.”

“Sure.”

“Are you all blind?!” Blake yelled. All eyes turned to her. She directed her attention towards Roman and stared daggers at him while she said “You just don't care about anyone's wellbeing do you? You disgust me.”

“Excuse me?” Roman responded raising an eyebrow.

“Just stop playing dumb and confess already.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Yang turned to face her partner with a quizzical expression. “Blake what are you getting at?”

Blake rose from her seat, red faced and pointing at Roman “What I'm ‘getting at’ is how he has you all fooled! Can't you all see who he is?! What he's doing?!”

Ozpin stepped in and said “Ms. Belladonna I suggest that you take a seat.” 

“I will not take a seat as long as this injustice stands! He is tricking you all into thinking he's someone he's not!”

“And just who might that be?”

“Roman Torchwick!”

Ruby felt herself freeze up. Blake had figured it out. Ruby did not know what to do. She had to do something to defend him but how could she if it was actually the truth? Now she had to either turn him in or lie to her team’s face. The unnatural silence was broken by the sound of a small chuckle. Ruby looked over to see Roman’s chuckle steadily grow into a hysterical fit of laughter. It was not his genuine laugh that she heard when she was around him. He sounded mad as if he finally lost it. He was a hyena who just heard the funniest joke in its life.

“See! He doesn't even deny it!” Blake yelled pointing her finger at him accusingly.

After slamming his hand down on the table a few times Roman was able to calm down enough to speak. Wiping a tear from his eye he said “Oh my! I have to thank you for that one. I've not laughed that hard in a _long_ time.”

“So you're not going to deny it?” Blake asked raising an eyebrow.

“Of course I'm going to deny it. Why the hell would Roman Torchwick be in Beacon? And why do you assume that I'm the man in question?”

“You talk and act like him. You look like him. You've got a silver tongue like him.”

Roman looked down inspecting his fingernails as if he did not care that he was one step away from being arrested. “All circumstantial evidence. Give me some hard proof.”

Ozpin turned towards Blake and said “Mr. Cyan is correct. I understand the similarities you've brought up but before you go and make an extraordinary accusation you need extraordinary evidence. Ms. Belladonna do you have any such evidence?”

“Yes sir. If you remember every time that Torchwick made an attack on one of the kingdoms Cobalt just magically disappears.”

“Coincidence.” Roman jived. 

“He has the same eyes and hair.”

“I always knew you were jealous of my red hair.”

“I have a report of a student hearing him admit it in his room.”

“I was telling them to lay off the energy drinks or else they might start hearing things. At least I thought it was energy drinks. Could've been gasoline or turpentine for all I know. People will do anything for a high.”

“I followed him and have pictures of him spying around the school!”

“Which doesn't scream ‘stalker’ in the slightest.”

“Can you just shut up and take this seriously? At least accept you've been caught with dignity.”

“I will not take this seriously. I came here because I needed Ruby to be able to sleep in her own room again. What I did not come here for was to be given ludicrous accusations that have no concrete evidence to support them. You insult me for even considering me to be someone so despicable.”

“But I have proof! I have photos!”

“Well then show them to us. Show us these magical photos of you invading my privacy that can convict me of being a world renowned criminal. Go ahead, show me. I'm very interested to see them.”

“Fine! I will in just… Wait a minute… Where are they?” Blake said as she began patting all of her pockets and finding nothing. Ruby stared at her panicking teammate who could not find these photos that she claimed that she owned. Ruby felt bad for Blake who was making a massive fool of herself but was relieved that at least for the moment Roman was able to dodge detection. Blake turned towards Ozpin and said “Sir you have to believe me! I had them on me! Just give me some time to find them! This man is guilty!”

“I'm sorry Ms. Belladonna but without any concrete evidence I can't support an investigation nor even suspicion that Mr. Cyan could possibly be Mr. Torchwick. All the evidence you currently have is circumstantial.”

Blake looked down at the ground; her eyes open wide in fear, while she raked her claws against the table in anger. Suddenly she shot up and pulled Ruby away from her continuous hug with Yang. Grabbing both her shoulders Blake looked right into Ruby’s eyes and said “Ruby you've been with him for weeks now right? Please tell me is there anything at all that would make you think of him to be Torchwick?”

Given no other choice Ruby said “I'm sorry Blake but no. I get that you don't like him but you don't have to go as low as accusing him of this. This is really mean.”

Ruby could feel her heart rate spike as she waited for what seemed to be an eternity for Blake's response. Blake slowly lowered her head in shame. As much as Ruby pitied her she could not tell Blake the truth. To Ruby’s surprise, Blake snapped her head back up and with a snarl yelled “LIAR!” in her face.

Ruby quivered in fear at the growling tiger in front of her until Blake was ripped away from Ruby and thrown into a chair. Yang and Weiss stood between Ruby and Blake forming a protective wall.

“Blake I expected more from you. I don't like him either but at least I didn't accuse him of being Torchwick of all people.” Scolded Weiss.

Yang harshly barked “I understand you're upset but that gives you no right to take out your mistake on Ruby. You told us that he'd done horrible things. You told us he was a criminal. You spent weeks complaining about how much you hated him and made us do the same. But if this was your intent then you're crazier than I thought you were. Look at what you've caused?! Look at how much pain you've brought to Ruby and all of us?!”

Blake yelled back in her defense “Can't you just see that Ruby just lied to us again?! She knows! She knows he's Torchwick and is doing nothing about it!”

Ozpin brought the bickering to a stop with the sound of his voice. “Ms. Belladonna it is my understanding that earlier this year you had some health issues as of a result to your desire to bring Mr. Torchwick to justice. Are you sure that this isn't just those resurfacing? Have you been eating enough and getting enough sleep?”

“I'm not crazy. Why can't you all get that? I'm not the crazy one here. The world’s most dangerous criminal is sitting less than ten feet from all of you and you're all calling me crazy.”

“Ms. Belladonna I think it would be best if you go back to your room and get some rest.”

“I'm not through with him yet!”

“But this meeting is over. I was here to make sure that no fights erupted and the majority of your team has made peace with Ms. Rose and her relationship. I suggest that you follow in their footsteps. You all may go. Mr. Cyan, Ms. Rose if you could stay here for a few minutes I have something I wish to discuss privately.”

Yang and Weiss dragged a grumbling Blake back to the elevator to return to their dorm. Watching them until the elevator door closed, Ruby turned around to give her full attention to her headmaster.

He pushed up his glasses and stared at Roman as if he was a test subject. “Mr. Cyan I understand the transition from Atlas to Vale was rough for you but I am thankful that you've been able to bounce back. Do keep in mind though that all of your activities have been noticed. _All of them_. Take this as a precautionary warning.”

Ozpin leaned forward to get his face a few feet closer to Roman’s. “I am aware of anything and everything that goes on in this school. I mean _everything_.” Quick as a flash he was back to his normal sitting position but was looking at Ruby now. “Ms. Rose I'm putting you in charge of making sure he stays out of trouble. Are you up to the task?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. You both may leave.”

The two of them made their hasty retreat to elevator and when the doors closed Roman gasped. “Roman! Are you alright?”

He took a few deep breaths before saying “Just dandy. Sometimes when I'm in there I forget to breathe. I was holding my breath the entire time he was staring at me. That was quite a bind I got stuck in. Thank you for backing me up. At least I was able to confiscate those photos.”

“Wait, what? She actually has real photos of you sneaking around?”

“Not anymore.” He said pulling out a pile of Polaroid pictures from his jacket for show. He promptly returned them to his pocket before giving her his attention again.

“How did you get those?”

“I'm a professional. A little pick-pocketing is nothing for me.”

Ruby sighed and slumped her shoulders. “I feel horrible. Blake is right but we made her look like she was crazy. You stole the only thing that proves her sanity but it would incriminate you. How's she going to forgive me for this?”

“I don't know. I'm sorry that you were thrust into that. I did this to fix things between you and your team but I don't how to help you with Blake.”

Ruby brought her head down in resignation. Every time a problem was fixed something new would come to take its place. She started thinking about why she was doing this again. Why she was allowing herself to fall for her nemesis. How he was bringing havoc to her life. She knew that she should have stopped long ago but she did not want to. She had been seeing a gradual change in Roman and if things kept going it was looking like he would switch sides. Then nobody would have a problem with the two of them being together. Except the age difference. That still bothered her a little bit but it could not be helped and as they got older people would be less concerned. 

Roman interrupted her thoughts by holding her hand and saying “I'm sorry about your mother. I'm sorry if you felt oppressed. I understand what it's like to lose someone you're close to. I also understand what it's like to lose yourself. Just don't forget that I'm here for you whenever you need me.”

Ruby turned to him and gave him a light hug. “I know. Thank you.”

He returned her embrace and said “I know that having to go through that had to be hard. I technically forced you into all of this so how about I make it up to you? We haven't had a date in a while. After classes I'll take you to whatever you want to do. My treat. I promise.”

Ruby looked up at him with a spark of excitement in her eyes. “Weapon shop!”

Seeing his fear grow in his eyes she became even more excited “I shouldn't have promised should I?” He asked.

“Nope!”

“Please promise me you won't destroy something?” He pleaded.

“Never!”

Roman sighed and said “You're going to be the death of me you know that right?”

“Yup.” Ruby leaned up to kiss him lovingly. After pulling away she said “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Ahem.” They heard someone cough. Turning around they saw her team standing there waiting for her. Yang just face palmed herself, Weiss was tapping her foot and Blake looked like she could kill the two of them on the spot. Ruby felt her blush return and heard Roman say “Ruby?”

“Yes.”

“We're never kissing on an elevator again.”

“Yup.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know it's been a while. While I'm sure the suspense was fun it wasn't intentional for me to slow down the updates. Lately, things have been rough. Really rough. A lot has happened, both expected and not, and to say I'm fine would be a lie. I know that things will cool down soon and hopefully then I can take some much needed rest and recover. Until then though, don't expect a lot of updates.
> 
> Also I had a little side-project going on for rosewick week called Rosewick: An Anthology. If you want to see more of my writings then check it out sometime. Since rosewick week is over it'll be where I post my short stories should I come up with any more. I hope you like them.


	34. Weapons of Mind and Body

Ruby rejoined the rest of her team and left for their dorm to get ready for classes. She was uncomfortably aware of the awkward silence of the walk there. Yang and Weiss were alright but Blake’s gaze never left her. Once the four finally reached their room Ruby sat down on the edge of her bed and spoke up. “I'm sorry for keeping all this a secret. I was just afraid of you reacting like you did. But for as much as I lied I know I deserved it.” Ruby said disappointedly. She looked down at her hands unable to meet their gaze.

Yang jumped into her own bed and said “Ruby you didn't deserve that. We acted like crap and forced this upon you.” After a brief pause she asked “So I was right in predicting your feelings for him, huh?”

“Yeah, you were.”

“Were you able to help him like you wanted to?”

“Not completely but he's made a lot of progress. I'm really happy for him.”

“Help him?” Weiss asked raising an eyebrow.

Yang looked over at Ruby and asked “Are you alright telling her what you had told me?”

Ruby knew that she could not tell them everything but the more open she was the better it would be. So she told her the story of how she found out about Ruth. She finished with “Remember when he said last night ‘at least you didn't have to watch your sister die’.” 

“He was serious?”

“Yeah. He's had a pretty rough childhood. When he was five he was orphaned and had to live on the streets. He had to watch his sister be murdered in front of him when he was seven. The amount of hardship he's had to go through is something that I don't know if it will ever heal.”

“It doesn't sound that bad.” A voice said coming from underneath Yang. All eyes turned towards Blake. 

Weiss asked what was on all of their minds. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I'm a faunus.”

“What?”

“That what you see as wrong with me right? To you I'm just some lousy good-for-nothing faunus.”

“To me you're my teammate and my friend. Where is this coming from?”

“Where is this coming from? How about how you show sympathy for a human you hate but not your own faunus teammate?”

“I'm sorry but I'm not the one accusing a look-alike of being Torchwick.”

“That's because he is Torchwick and Ruby knows this! And she's still with him!”

Ruby knew that she had to keep lying about this until Blake gave up. No amount of explaining could ever account for the fact that they were still a couple even after finding out who he was. “Blake this is enough. I get that you don't like him. I understand that. But that gives you no right to accuse him of such things. He isn't Torchwick.”

“You're supposed to be our leader but how can I trust you when you're lying through your teeth?”

“BLAKE!” Yang screamed. “This is enough! You need to get it through your head that like you we all want Torchwick brought to justice. That includes Ruby. Don't you think that Ruby would have realized by now if Cobalt was him? If she says that he isn't then he isn't.”

“Ruby is well aware that he's Torchwick but is being blinded by his lies! If none of you believe me then stay out of my way!” Blake stormed off and slammed the door behind her. The unease in the room was thick enough that Ruby felt like she could reach out and touch it. 

Yang let out a heavy sigh and hopped down from her bed. “I'll go talk to her. Don't worry about anything, I'll take care of this. I'll catch up with you two at breakfast. And don't take anything to heart, she's just hurt right now.”

With that Yang left, leaving Ruby alone with Weiss. Ruby went on ahead and started getting ready for the day when she heard Weiss ask “How did this happen?”

“I've been asking myself that a lot late-”

“No, I mean how did you get away with this? How did we not notice your relationship with Cobalt this entire time?”

Ruby turned to look at Weiss expecting anger but seeing only curiosity. “Well… I made a deal with Nora awhile back and we've been covering for each other.”

Weiss’s eyes grew when she realized how easily she and the rest of her team had been duped. “So this entire time you haven't been studying with Nora? Every day you've instead been…”

“I've been with Cobalt.”

Ruby awaited Weiss’s cold fury but it never happened. Weiss only made a small “humph” and a smirk before saying “That's pretty clever. Since it was you I never doubted if you were telling the truth. Well played. Wait a minute, how did Nora know about you and Cobalt before we did?”

Ruby looked at the ground in shame of remembering that memory. “She walked in on me and him kissing.”

Weiss only sighed. “Of course. And she decided to help you because she's… Well, Nora. I'm going to have to have a talk with-”

“Please don't?!” Ruby yelled. She did not intend on yelling though and stunned both of them. “I-I just m-mean to not tell others about her. While I've been seeing Cobalt all these times, she's been seeing Ren. I don't want her to lose that. She's anxious enough about dating him already and hardly anyone knows about it.”

Weiss began to cool off until she gave a small smile. “It's about time those two got together. If that's true I won't say anything. Anyways, I'm going to get going. You can answer more of my questions and theirs too at breakfast.” She said mischievously. With that she walked out the door.

Ruby being left alone again sat back and wondered about how much had happened just this morning. She woke up next to Roman which was one of the greatest feelings ever. Then tempers and emotions flared at the meeting with Ozpin. Now she has to worry about Blake proving that Roman is Roman. Then there was the impending interrogation session that was going to likely last all day. She had not even had breakfast yet. If the morning’s events were a precursor to the rest of the day then her date with Roman could not come fast enough.

* * *

Ruby finished texting aggressively, put her scroll away, and fell into Roman’s side with her face pressed against his jacket. He slowly and awkwardly raised his arms to give her a small hug. He did not know what he was expecting but whatever it was this was not it. “Uh, alright then? If you wanted me that badly all you had to do was ask.”

Her voice was muffled by the jacket. “Ha, ha. I just need a minute.”

Roman tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. “Long day?”

“You have no idea.”

“It couldn't have been that bad.”

“They won't leave alone.”

Their server came with their food at that moment which made Ruby perk up again much to Roman’s disappointment and amusement. As she started tearing apart her enchilada Roman knew that he had some time to think to himself. He had realized throughout the day that they had not had a real date since their movie theater incident. Of course the fact that their relationship had been kept secret did make the opportunity of getting Ruby gifts improbable at best. Now that the cat had been let out of the bag he could treat her to more things and not worry about anything. 

Thus the idea of taking her out to dinner came to mind. He had a couple ideas other than just dinner and a weapon shop but they could be saved for another time. Besides with how crazy she was about weapons, he was worried about the integrity of his financial situation already and did not need something else to add onto it.

He watched her eat with an impressive gusto. He could not help but let a smile arise. Unlike her, he always took the time to savor every meal because in his line of work every meal could be his last. He decided that he would quote himself. “You know I recently read that there's this practice that people can do for their health. I've heard it's quite helpful. Now what was it…? Oh, that's right it's called breathing.”

She stopped suddenly and slowly turned to face him. She had finished chewing and was now dismissively glaring at him while pouting. He understood that she was trying to express her annoyance but the large blob of sauce on her cheek completely ruined the attempt. He could not stifle his chuckle any longer and broke out laughing. Ruby put her hands on her hips and whined “What is it?”

“Were you planning on having that now or saving it for later? If you want we could get a take home box for it.” He laughed while grabbing a napkin and wiping her face.

“Don't do that.” Ruby complained, turning away from him. She then muttered “It's embarrassing me.”

“I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself. Your face made it priceless.”

“You still made fun of it.”

“That's because it was cute and innocent and perfectly reminded me of you.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means I love you.” He said leaning over to give her a quick kiss. He knew he could get one more remark in before he would call it quits. He licked his lips and said “Now I don't need to ask you for a bite of your food.”

“Hey! That's gross!” Roman felt her playfully shove him a few times which only made him laugh more. That is until he felt himself hit the floor. “Sorry! Are you alright?” She asked holding out a hand for him. 

Taking her hand, she helped pull him back into the booth. He smirked and shrugged it off. “Don't worry the floor caught my fall. I did deserve it though so no harm no foul.”

“Sorry.”

Roman resumed eating his carnita and said “No trust me I had it coming. So now that you're technically ‘done’ with you food, perhaps you could fill me in on these seemingly stalker-ish attitudes your friends have taken?”

“Ugh, I felt like I was in a police interrogation the entire day.”

“About?” He received a quick flick to the forehead for that one. “How'd it go?” Another flick later he said “So it went well I assume?” She was about to do it one more time when he caught her wrist and said “Alright that's enough.”

Putting her hand down Ruby sighed and plopped her head on the table. “They wanted to know every single detail about us. When did we have our first kiss? When did we get together? When did we first say that we love each other? Those types of questions.”

“Well that doesn't sound too unreasonable. After all they just discovered that we've been dating in secret for a while now. It's become quite the scandal.”

“I left out the thousands of nonstop perverted questions in between.”

“Alright then… I can understand how that can get annoying pretty quickly.”

“Yeah.” 

“If you wanted to you could've made them go and bother me with those questions.”

“No I couldn't.”

“And why not?”

“Because I've met you.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you would overexaggerate everything.”

Roman purposely began flaunting his arms around and wore an expression of mock surprise. “Me?! Overdramatic?! How dare you make such a presumptuous accusation?!” 

He could not help but let a smile creep onto his face when he got a giggle out of her. He loved her laugh. To him there was no sweeter sound in the world. She scooted over closer to him and he felt her lie on his side. “You're awfully clingy today.” He remarked.

“I'm just really happy.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“After a long day I got to spend this evening with you.”

“Do keep in mind that this evening isn't over quite yet.”

Ruby jumped up which created quite a ruckus considering she was still seated in a booth. “I almost forgot! Weapons! Nothing will hold me back from me and my babies!”

“Nothing except a rocking table, a hungry boyfriend, and an unpaid bill.”

“Then eat faster!”

“You're joking right?”

“Do I look like I'm joking?!”

“You look like you really have to pee.”

“Irrelevant!”

He looked at her eyes full of anticipation and sighed. He could savor his meal another day. Right now he had a young girl on his hands and he was the only thing standing between her and weapons of mass destruction. Nothing scared him more.

* * *

Ruby began to slow down allowing Roman’s feet hit the ground running once more. He opted for the scenic route with a great view of the sunset but Ruby was too excited to have it be anything too meaningful. So they were traveling using her semblance again, something he had yet to get used to. They never officially stopped until they made it inside. Once they were inside though Roman gulped. It was set up warehouse style with everything deadly as far as the eye could see. He looked down at her to see her clasp her hands to her face and gasp. Seeing the sparks of nuclear detonation in her eyes he said “You're going to be the death of me you know that right?”

“YES!” She screamed as she ran off into the store. She looked like a sugar high five year old let loose in a candy store. As scary as it was knowing how much destruction she could cause, he was somewhat relieved. Seeing her so happy helped ease his nerves. 

He pulled out his scroll in anticipation waiting for a call. He knew that he would receive a call today but did not know who, when or why. He had hoped and expected for it to have happened already so that he would have no worries over this date. The only information he got was that something was going down in Mistral.

He jumped when it started ringing in his hand. The caller ID said that it was Junior. Breathing a sigh of relief over the fact that it was not his employer, but cursing because it was interrupting the date he answered. “Junior are you the call I've been expecting today?”

“Yes but I need to make this quick. Wherever you are you need to get back to wherever you're staying. Shit’s about to go down.”

“What kind of shit?”

“They destroyed the tape Roman. They destroyed the tape and the video is playing in Mistral. The waves are coming our way as we speak.”

He felt his heart skip a beat. His uplifting attitude was immediately replaced by one of grim seriousness. “How much time do we have?”

“Less than a minute. I've been monitoring Vale’s communications and shit has hit the fan. Vale is going to activate a complete shutdown of power. You know what that means. If you're on the streets then you need to get to shelter, now!”

Junior hung up and shivers went down Roman’s spine. Roman stared at the scroll frozen that they would do such a thing. This was bad, very bad. Ruby was not safe out here. Then again the two of them were in a weapon shop. She could wield almost anything here. But he knew that this was going to be the first place that was hit. “Ruby!” He called out.

The red blur slowed down and stopped right in front of him. She was carrying blades and bullets galore. “What is it?” She asked.

“We need to go. Now.” His fear and anger must have been evident in his voice because he could practically see her excitement shrivel up and die. He made sure to make his voice as comforting as possible to say “I'm sorry. Really I am. Some unexpected consequences are about to hit us. They're about to hit us and fast. I can't guarantee our safety as long as we stay out of Beacon.”

“But we're in a weapon shop. We could defend ourselves.”

“I don't want to risk it and we don't have time to argue this. Grab whatever you can and then we need to go.”

They checked out as fast as they could and when they stepped out Ruby started yelling at him. “What was that?!”

“Ruby how well can you see in the dark? Enough that you can use your semblance?”

“Um… Okay… Yeah I guess.”

“Good, if all goes well then we won't have to worry about-”

He was interrupted by the entire world going dark. Every light in the city shut off at once. He took Ruby’s hand and started leading her back to Beacon.

“What's going on?” She asked with a twinge of fear evident in her voice. 

His growing fear, anger, and guilt made his voice sound more like a harsh croak instead of the soothing tone of relief he intended. “This is all my fault. I shouldn't have made the tape. I shouldn't have had her leave the goddamn tape.”

“What tape? Why is the power out? What's going on?”

“Do you remember that video feed? Of Neo in Mistral? I know it was a while ago but she killed their king.”

“Oh that tape. The one she left on the king's crown pillow?”

“Precisely.”

“So why shouldn't you have left the tape?”

“I had mission parameters given to me. I was ordered to make a videotape of myself saying that I killed the king. What I forgot is Mistral's unique justice system.”

“What's different about it?”

“Until the culprit is caught then all crimes and evidence are covered up. Once they catch the culprit then they release all the information to the public.”

“I don't see how this affects anything.”

“If they can't catch the culprit then they'll cover it up and make it look like an accident. Especially for someone such as their king. Then they destroy all evidence and provide a fake story about how he died. So they destroyed the tape.”

“So you shouldn't have left a tape that they were going to destroy? Why?”

“Because it had a radio transmitter inside of it. If the connection would cease, as it would if they destroyed it, then it would trigger a different video. There is a base of computers set up in Mistral that has the power to hack into anything that has a display screen. It's using the Cross Continent Transmit System to play the video worldwide.”

He could hear her voice sounding a little shaky. “What was on that video?”

“Something that I was forced to record. A summary of it is me flipping everyone off combined with half true evidence about how the kingdoms are hiding secrets from the people. But it started in Mistral. If Mistral was able to get communications out just before the video started playing, then they could warn the other kingdoms. Vale, for example, got less than a minute warning. The council needed more time to come up with a plan so they're delaying the reach of the video by shutting the power off.”

“So this is so nobody sees it?”

“Yes but I don't think you quite understand. This is more than when I brought down the Cross Continental Transmit System. Then the governments had backup generators to fuel emergency services. This is a full, hard shutdown that will take several hours to bring back up. That means everything is down. Everything.”

He could hear her whisper “Hospitals…”

“Precisely. It's going to be like the art museum all over again but this time in every kingdom. And it's all because…” Roman slowed down until he came to a stop. He fell to his knees and looked straight at the ground. The sudden rush of guilt crushed him. All he could do was kneel there and stare at the silent tears landing on the pavement. “...It's all because of me.”

The memories of everything that he had ever regretted began playing before his eyes. Every person he had ever wronged was yelling at him inside his head. The noise was deafening to the point that his own screams were nothing but a pin dropping in the roaring stampede. Their anger began to seep into him until he felt like he was walking through hell. His vision had turned red and he could feel their anger consuming him, twisting him into something less than human. He stood up slowly shaking and looking around him for something to release the rage upon. Nobody was in sight except a young girl standing next to him. He took one step forward and felt a ripple course through his body. It made him sick to his stomach but after taking a second look the girl appeared awfully familiar. He could have sworn he had seen that red cloak somewhere before. Another step came with another ripple, this one much stronger than the last. He could not understand it but it was as if his own body was preventing himself from getting close to her. 

Then he recognized that it was Ruby. Memories of the two of them together began playing instead of the memories of pain. Now he stood there horrified, staring at his shaking, bloodthirsty hands. He knew deep down that just then he had no problems with the idea of ending her life. In fact he had wanted to do it. He gasped out of fear of himself and his destructive nature. He then began a fight with himself once he saw his arm outstretched for her against his will. Using all of his willpower it was not enough to hold himself back. All he could do was sit there and watch as his body betrayed him in reaching out for the frozen and terrified Ruby. 

To his surprise and relief his arm did not grab her neck like he expected it to; it grabbed her shoulder. He pulled her into a hug and held her as tight as he could. As the tears fell from both parties he could feel the anger slowly ebb away into nothingness. The red faded from his vision and the screams inside his head dampened into silence. When he had finally returned to normal he tried speaking. 

“Ruby?” He croaked.

“Yes?” She whispered.

He could not stop himself from sniffling occasionally. “I'm-I'm turning into a being of hatred. I may be surviving but by no means am I living. I can't go through something like this again. I need to quit. I need to escape.”

“What?”

“I can't work for Cinder anymore. I don't care what the consequences are but I can't go through that again. I can't cause this again.”

“Roman! You really mean it?!”

“Yes. My anger almost made me kill you right then and there. There is no way I'm letting that happen again. I can't harm or kill anyone else. Not now, not ever again. If I do… Then I'll lose myself and I'll lose you. And I can't live without you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to see what I've been doing. I'm sorry it’s taken so long for me to gather my courage to break away.”

They stood there in silence letting the cold night envelope them like they were a rock in a stream. The world continued flowing on but left the two of them in their own world, independent and immobile. Then Ruby looked straight into his eyes. Her silver eyes shone brighter than the moon in the night sky. They radiated light into the world consumed by darkness. 

“It's okay.” She soothed.

He felt himself get choked up. “How can I make things right?”

“I don't know, but you can. I know you can. I believe in you. And I'll help with every step along the way.”

“How can you believe in me after what I've just done? What I almost did?”

“It's because you've changed. I only gave you pushes in the right direction but it was you who was the one who changed yourself. I know that you have good in you. I've seen it for a long time now. You just have to let it out. And Roman?”

“Yes?”

“I love you. I loved you before and I love you now. Nothing will ever make me stop. Don't ever doubt that.”

“I won't. I love you too. More than you could ever know.” He leaned down to give her a brief but loving kiss. 

Afterwards she took his hand and said “Come on, let's go make things right.” She led him back to Beacon using her semblance. They had a few close calls with some road signs but the way there was relatively quiet and deserted. They had yet to see any signs of panic which was a good thing considering the possibilities of what could happen. 

They came to a stop right before the school. He was spilling secrets galore with her to see if they could find him a way out of his situation with Cinder. At least he was until he opened the main door. Looking inside his heart skipped a beat. He immediately closed the door and took Ruby’s hand leading her away. “We will make things right going another way. We will make things right going any way other than this way.”

“What's wrong with this way?”

“I saw Mercury and Emerald talking to Blake.”

“And? 

“Mercury and Emerald work for Cinder just like I do. Or like how I used to.”

“So… So they've been spies this entire time?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh god… What about the others? Are there any more spies?”

“Not that I'm aware of.”

“I need to go tell my team this.”

“No, you can't. How would you support it? How would you have found out? I need you to keep this secret for now but you can still express suspicion about them to your team. I don't see much harm in that.”

“Alright then. I need to get going. I don't want to harm anything by being seen with you. I know that tonight didn't end like how we thought it would but I still had a good time. Thank you. Goodnight.” She gave him one last goodnight kiss before she ran off carrying her bag of explosives, blades, and bullets behind her. 

The walk back to his dorm was grim. He had come to terms with what he was about to do and the consequences that he would receive for it. He knew that chances were good that he would die by Cinder’s hand but he had to go through with leaving her. He would not be able to live with himself otherwise. Still, the idea that he could count the number of days he had left on his hands was unnerving.

Upon entering his room he saw Neo waiting for him by the window. He was surprised to see her but was annoyed because he did not need to have a fight with her now of all times. He brought his face into an ugly sneer and said “What do you want?”

When she saw him sit down on the edge of his bed she signed back to him [I came to talk.]

“Then go on.” Roman said gesturing for her to continue.

She joined him on the edge of the bed. _[I want to say that I'm sorry. I've been a bad friend and I thought that I was looking out for both of us. All I did though was act like a bitch and go after my self-interests. I put you and Red in harm's way because I had this vision in my head that I could make everything go back to how it used to be. But I know I can't. I've thought long and hard about it and I've decided that I'm not going to fight you. I've seen how you look and how you act around her. You really do love her and there's nothing that I can say or do to stop it. So I will accept your decision to be with her.]_

“Thank you.”

_[But I do know what side you'll choose when the final battle starts. I'm just afraid of being on different sides.]_

“I don't want us to be on opposite sides either.”

_[But I know that you're not siding with Cinder anymore.]_

“It's not too late to change things. We can still make things right.”

_[Maybe. I can't give you an answer yet but maybe.]_

“That's good enough for me.” He was surprised when she got up and started heading for the door. “That's an awfully short talk. Something else on your mind?”

_[Something like that. I've just got to do some thinking to myself. I'll talk to you later.]_

The door closed behind her and he was left alone. After changing and brushing his teeth Roman laid down in bed. He could tell immediately that something was off. No matter what he did he could not get comfortable. He tossed and turned for a good hour before he was able to rest. He could still fall asleep but he did notice that it was considerably harder to do so without Ruby by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It’s been a while. I wanted to update on the 23rd because that was the day that I began writing all this one year ago, but stuff happened. Things have gotten better and I want to thank you all for the kind words and humor. They were small gestures, but they meant a lot. Thank you.
> 
> (I also know that this chapter was a little less dramatic than the previous but I figured you could use a rest from what happened and what is to come.)


	35. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't think it needs to be said but this is rated M for a reason. Things are about to get pretty dark in the next few chapters by involving themes such as: child murder, attempted sexual assault, psychological torture, and even suicide mention. Just a heads up.

Things that morning were not looking up. Beacon was under lockdown until authorities could determine that the situation would remain peaceful. Thankfully no riots started yet but there had been protests that were on the verge of turning violent. Tensions were high but nobody had lit the spark to set it all ablaze. That was one of the few things that Roman considered himself fortunate for.

He was fortunate to have Ruby too. More than just as the woman he loved but also as a strategist. Last night on the run home, the two of them were rambling off ideas for getting him out of Cinder’s clutches. They did not come up with any viable plans but Ruby had come up with a few ideas he never thought of before. He planned on working with her later that evening. At least he was until he had breakfast.

Roman had just grabbed his food and was walking towards where team RWBY sat in hope to spend some time with Ruby and rebuild his relationship with the others. One look of Blake though sent him going the other direction. He was sure he could mend things at a different time. 

Once he sat down he noticed Mercury and Emerald. They were sitting across the room but the very second that he sat down, they got up. He knew they were walking towards him but hoped with all his might that his instincts were wrong. They were not.

“Hey old man. How are you doing?” Said Mercury who sat down across from Roman and helped himself to some of Roman’s hash browns. 

“Well not too bad until you showed up. Why are you eating my food?”

“Because I'm hungry and you're not doing anything to stop me.”

“Mercury…” Roman looked over to see Emerald glaring at Mercury. “We're here to talk. Not to shove our mouths with food.”

“I'm sorry but this is a cafeteria. And I'm a growing boy; you can't just stop me from eating when I'm-”

“Mercury…”

“Fine.”

Roman laughed. “Wow Mercury. I never expected you to be the kind of dog to wear a leash. What'd you do to tame him Emerald? Did you threaten to ‘fix’ him?”

“Actually he's just holding back because he knows when it will do more harm than good. That's something you could learn from him.”

“Nah, I think I'll pass.”

“You should reconsider it then.”

“Oh I'm reconsidering something alright.”

“What?”

“The reason I'm still here blabbering to you two. I’m a busy man, I have-”

“We're here because we want a progress report.” Emerald interrupted.

Mercury put both his feet up on the table and aimed them at Roman’s face. “What she's trying to say is that we want to know if you're actually doing jack shit.”

Roman let loose a low growl in the back of his throat. “Yes I am doing my job. Jeez I can't work for two seconds without somebody checking up on me. Hasn't Cinder been getting all the data I've been sending her? You know it's only the schedule of all patrols. Nothing big.”

Emerald said “She's concerned because all the times of the patrols have been wrong. You need to step up your game.”

“I'm sorry. It's only that I'm a member of a student organization that's sole purpose is to see my head on a pike. If the information is wrong then take it up with them. I just report what I've been given.” He lied.

“See I doubt that.”

“What are you implying?”

“I'm implying that you're growing soft.”

“What in blazes makes you think that?”

“Your relationship with Ruby makes me think that.”

Roman’s eyebrows furrowed. This was bad, very bad. He began running through what could have made them find out. Then he remembered seeing them talk with Blake the night before. He would have to discuss this with Ruby. “Excuse me?”

“Don't play dumb.”

“I'm not playing dumb. I just don't understand what you're upset about.”

Mercury deciding that another comment was needed said “We're upset about the idea of you fucking a fifteen year old.”

Roman’s fists clenched and his teeth began grinding. He would not have been surprised at all if steam was coming out of his ears. He was one step away from hitting either one of them. But he was in a public place and now was not the time to make a scene. He took a deep breath and began thinking of happy thoughts of Ruby and him together. “First of all I have not been doing _that_. I have some decency. Second do you really think that I actually like her?”

“It seems that way.” Emerald responded.

“The only reason I'm with her is to get close to them. One of the first rules of being undercover is to become friends with the enemy.”

“You seem to be a lot more than ‘friends’.”

“All the more exciting to see her face when I stab her in the back. If you're going to have me stuck hanging around my prey for this long the least I can do is play with my food.”

Roman then began a death stare contest with Emerald. This went on for a good minute until Mercury brought his feet down and waved his hand in between the two. “As fun as watching the two of you fume is, it's so boring. If you're going to fight then just fight already.”

Roman looked once at Mercury then back at Emerald and said “You wanted me to learn something from this one?”

“Yo hot head! I'm right here! Try talking to me with more respect for once.”

“Over my dead body Peg Leg.”

“Drag Queen.”

“Thermometer.”

“Pumpkin pie.”

“Dog on a leash.”

“Torched shit.”

“Daddy's boy.”

Something went ablaze in Mercury’s eyes. He snarled and spat “Pedophile!”

Everything changed in an instant. Roman closed his eyes to blink and then everything went to hell. When Roman opened his eyes his hand was grabbing Mercury’s collar and holding their faces inches apart. Roman was baring his teeth and heard a wolfish growl come from the bottom of his throat. In a low rumble Roman said “Don't ever call me that. Ever again. I'm not a pedophile.” His voice was cold, harsh, and almost inhuman. 

Mercury briefly had a glimpse of fear in his eyes but then his glare returned as cocky as ever. “I can call you whatever I want. Besides, Cinder should be very interested to hear that her favorite rat is sleeping with a kid.”

“Stop this now. Our relationship isn't like that. I'm warning you.”

“Hey when you're done with her can I have her? I love to fuck a good slut.”

Roman slammed Mercury’s head down on the table and within one second Mercury was unconscious. It all happened in a flash. One second Mercury was facing Roman’s death stare and the next his head was lying limp on the table. Roman stared in horror at the slowly growing pool of blood coming from Mercury’s head. He looked up to see Emerald staring at her companion. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was shallow. “Mercury?” She whispered.

Roman held his hands up in surrender and said “I didn't mean to do it I swear.”

Roman was sickeningly aware of the sound of Mercury’s blood dripping off the table drop by drop. Roman got a rush of adrenaline and got up to check Mercury’s pulse. He still had one which meant he could be helped. 

“Mercury?” Emerald whispered again but this time with a tone of more evident concern. She sounded like she was one moment away from snapping and Roman wanted to do the best he could to prevent a panic. 

“Emerald help me get him up on the table. We need to see if he can be moved or if he needs help here-”

“Help him?! You get away from him! Mercury! MERCURY!” She screamed. She slapped away Roman's hand trying to get to Mercury’s unconscious body. She grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him trying to get him to wake.

“Shaking him will only cause more trauma! Let go of him now and lay him on the table. We need to examine the-”

“Will all of you just shut up?” The two of them stared at Mercury in shock. His eyes were crossed for a second before he shook his head and fixed it. He took Emerald’s hands off his shoulders before turning to face Roman. Roman could see the blood still flowing down Mercury’s face but no more blood was coming from the gash in his head. In fact after Mercury wiped it all off with a couple of napkins Roman could see the last little bit of Mercury’s gray aura healing the wound. Mercury jested “Shit, man. I didn't think you had it in you.”

Roman just stood there frozen staring at the man who was just unconscious walk around the table to stand right next to Roman. Mercury looked him directly in the eye and said in a calm, controlled voice. “Don't worry about it. Just a good fight between ‘friends’ right? One good favor deserves another.” 

Roman had the sudden sensation of Mercury’s fist colliding with his stomach. Roman hunched over trying to not throw up the breakfast he just ate. Roman felt Mercury’s breath on his ear. “This isn't over.” Mercury whispered. “Cinder will hear about this. I'll make sure of it. In the meantime you can stay here playing pretend boyfriend. But Cinder’s throwing a party this evening so you'll have to free up some time. Make sure you're there at eight. I'll see you then. Come on Emerald, let's leave the rat to the sewers.”

As Roman coughed and straightened himself he glared at the backs of Mercury and Emerald walking away. Roman did not care about the consequences but he was determined to get back at the smug looking Mercury. He took one step forward planning to charge until he felt someone grab his right hand. He looked behind him and saw that it was Ruby. She was staring at the ground with tired eyes. Her grip was soft but unyielding. She held her left hand closed and pressed against her chest. Roman looked down at her hand connected with his then back up at her again. Now she was looking at him with determined but caring eyes. She slowly shook her head back and forth. They remained silent as no words were needed to be said.

Roman breathed a deep sigh before he turned around and lightly hugged her. He closed his eyes and felt her wrap her arms around him too. He was amazed how such a small and simple act was able to have such an impact on him. His frustration and anger seemed meaningless. His muscles relaxed and his breathing became less stressed. In a way he felt as if he was home. 

Then he was then suddenly aware of how this looked to anyone who was watching. His eyes jumped open and scanned the area. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that today was the day that team CVFY decided to get back at team CRNL for bullying Velvet. The two of them were specs in the background. “Ruby do you care if people see us?”

“If they see us then let it happen. I don't care. I just don't want you to do something you'd regret.”

“Can we talk outside?”

“Sure.”

Roman tested this “lockdown” that Beacon set up to find out that at least one door was not locked. He did not know whether to find this ominous or as a blessing. They sat down next to each other a little ways away from the door. The cool breeze of the morning helped carry away any remaining heat of anger from him. It left him goosebumps but whether it was from the wind or holding hands with Ruby he did not know. Ruby was resting her head on his shoulder while he softly stroked her hair. “How much did you see and hear?” He asked.

“I didn't hear anything but I saw everything. Why'd you have to do that?”

Roman sighed and said “I didn't mean to. I snapped and it was done before I even realized I did it.”

“What did he say to anger you so much?”

“He called you a slut and asked me if he could fuck you.”

He felt her frame freeze up. “You said no right?”

“I believe that a nasty gash in his head answered his question.”

Her muscles relaxed again. “Alright. While I appreciate you sticking up for me I'm trying to get my team to like you more. I'll tell them your side and I think they'll understand but still. You should avoid as many fights as you can.”

They were interrupted by the sound of Russel being thrust up against the window behind them and slowly sliding down it with a squeak. Roman scoffed “Serves him right. Technically I'm avoiding that fight right now.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know. This is really going to bite me in the rear end too.”

“Why?”

“Mercury works for Cinder remember? He's told me to report before her tonight at eight.”

Ruby turned and hugged him as tight as she could. “So she's going to take you away from me?”

“Not without a fight she's not.”

“What's going to happen?”

“I don't know. But Ruby?”

“Yes?”

“Make sure you take care of yourself tonight. Make sure that your entire team is safe and double check all locks.”

“You'll think they'll do something?”

“They might. They already know about us but I tried to sell them the lie that there's nothing between us. I don't think it worked though. You need to pull in your reins on Blake too.”

“You think that she told them about us? She would never put me in danger.”

“Not intentionally, no. But keep in mind that Cinder can sometimes be very assertive with her views. It's not against her to harm others just to force someone else into submission. I don't want you hurt.”

“Don't worry. I'll make sure to be careful.”

This time it was Cardin that hit the window. Instead of just hitting it though he smashed through it and flew twenty feet forward with shards of glass behind him. 

Speaking over the moaning Cardin, Roman said “I think it's about time we head to class.”

“Yup.”

* * *

Seeing that the time was eight Roman walked into the warehouse with anxiety festering in his stomach. He had smoked two stress cigars and was playing with the brim of his bowler hat. He knew that whatever happened would be painful either physically, mentally or both. Roman walked through the side door entrance and stared into the empty center room. He crept behind several crates to survey the area. All the lights were off and even after having his eyes adjust he still could barely see anything. He stepped clear of a crate and instantly knew that he messed up. His hair stood up on the back of his neck and he took a sidestep to the right. He could feel the wind brush past his left ear and gave a roundhouse kick towards the head of his attacker. He heard a sickening “thunk” and felt the force of the kick sent the man flying into the crates. He walked over to see his assailant was a White Fang member. “Ah shit.” Roman said as the world faded from existence.

Roman woke up blurry vision and the bright lights did not help him. He was slapped once which cleared his head of its fuzziness and ringing. Looking around he saw Cinder standing on an overhang staring down at him. Mercury was to her left and Neo to her right. He tried to stand only to have his feet fall from beneath him. His breathing was troubled and a searing pain hit him in the head. He glared up at Cinder who responded with a small smirk. “That's enough.” She said having her voice echo. “Roman do you know why you're here today?”

“So I can be given a pat on the back and a sticker that says ‘good job’.”

Her smile faded instantly. “Mercury you may have your revenge for this morning. Leave him his eyes, teeth, and don't break any bones.”

Mercury jumped down from the overhang and cracked the concrete beneath him. He ran over and kicked Roman straight in the head sending him flying. Roman tried to fight back but from the now two searing wounds in his head he acted like a drunken sailor. He was dizzy and his reflexes were slowed dramatically. Mercury had no trouble at all beating Roman to a pulp. There was not a single part of him that was not kicked at one point or another. After a certain point he felt numb. Not just numb to pain but to the whole world. He did not focus on the small pool of blood he was lying in. He did not focus on the crying and pleading Neo trying to shake Cinder. His attention was on how it would be worth it. As long as he could survive then he would be able to see Ruby again. 

“Enough. Bring him over here and hose him off.” He heard Cinder say.

Two white fang members walked over and held him up by his underarms. They dragged him over to face her. He was still dizzy until the he was blasted by a torrent of water. Once they turned it off he coughed up a little blood and said “That's it? I expected more out you Mercury.”

“You're lucky I didn't kill you.”

“You can't kill me. I've been a dead man walking for years now.”

“Enough.” Cinder interrupted. “As entertaining as it was watching Mercury get his play time, that is not why you're here today. I've been forced to keep tabs on you for some time now because of increasing concerns about your loyalty. Today we're going to settle that. Bring in the prisoner.”

Doors clanged open to his right. Two more white fang members were dragging with them a young boy who could not have been older than Ruby. Whoever this other person was clearly looked like they had seen better days. Bruises and dried blood covered a significant part of his body. His hair and clothes were filthy. His eyes looked like that of someone who had died on the inside. 

Roman pitied the boy but was not overly concerned. He had yet to piece together what they wanted to happen. That was until they threw a magnum at him. Roman stared at the gun resting by his feet frozen with the realization of what it meant. Goosebumps covered his skin and he began to shake. The two White Fang members holding Roman dropped him, making him land on the gun placed before him. It was sickening how familiar it felt in his hands. He checked the cartridge to find only one bullet. 

“Roman this is your last chance. I will let you live as long as you kill the boy.”

This made the boy perk up. Roman could see the fear in his eyes as he looked over at him. “Please no.” The boy whispered.

Roman turned to face Cinder and asked “What did he do? What could he have possibly done that justifies ending his life so early?! TELL ME!”

A sickening smile crept on her face. “He did nothing. He's just a stranger we picked up off the streets. So kill him.”

“Why?! What do you have to gain?! What's the point?!”

“The point is because I told you to kill him. You serve me and will do as I say no matter what I say. So if I tell you to kill him then kill him. Now.”

Roman stared at the crying boy. The child was kicking and screaming for his life. Roman felt as if every cell in his body was set ablaze. The fact that he was even considering it made him feel as if he would pass out. He froze trying to think of a way out of it. 

When he remained motionless for too long Cinder said “Poor Roman. Poor, poor Roman. I expected better of you. I gave you a simple task. All you had to do was pull a trigger once and all would've been forgiven.”

The boy pleaded “Please don't kill me! I'll do anything! Anything! Just please don't!” 

“Now I'll have to kill everyone you've ever cared for.”

“I'm begging you!”

“Junior…”

“Stop this please!”

“Neo…”

“I'm too young to die!”

“Ruby…”

“I'll-”

_Bang._

Echoes ricocheted throughout the room and even when they stopped Roman still heard them in his head. His heart was racing and his body was shaking. He slowly turned to his right to see his arm extended and holding a smoking gun. Just beyond the sight of the gun was the sight of the boy. Fear was forever imprinted on the boy’s face that now had a small red hole in the center of the forehead. A few short, shallow breaths escaped the boy’s lips before a steady stream of red flowed out of the hole, down his nose and began dripping into the floor. 

_Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop._

It went on like a clock ticking away the seconds until Roman felt like he would lose his sanity. He could feel himself slipping. He could feel the darkness slowly flow into him snuffing out all light he had left. He truly felt like a dead man walking. The gun fell from his hand and landed with a loud clang. He became so sickened by what he just did that he threw up right then and there.

“See? That wasn't so hard now, was it? Now swear your loyalty to me.”

Roman knelt there frozen not hearing her words. All he could focus on was the taste of bile in his mouth and his mind fighting itself. He felt consumed by shame for the blood on his hands and for failing Ruby. He told her he would not hurt or kill anyone ever again. He failed her.

“I said swear your loyalty to me.”

His defenses broke and he let out a sorrowful wail as he began to quietly cry. 

“I said swear your loyalty! NOW!”

“I-I-I sw-swear m-my loyalt-ty y-you.” He hoarsely whispered between breaths.

“Good. Now according to my records and memory of you only firing when she was involved, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take care of Ruby.”

His heart skipped a beat. “What?!”

He looked up to see her cackling. “Good thing I sent Emerald to take care of her. You know she tried to download your files right? Since then we've tracked all of her texts. There's some interesting stuff. From now on you are no longer enrolled at Beacon. I'll give you till the end of tomorrow to get your things and go.”

“What are you going to do with Ruby?!”

Mercury chimed in saying “You said that you enjoyed playing with your food. But keeping them all to yourself is just rude. It's selfish. So Emerald decided that she would join the fun.”

“You bastard! Where's Ruby?!”

“Where else would she be when she's not working in a brothel? Beacon. But you might want to hurry. Somebody's going to die tonight.”

“Fuck you!” Roman shouted as he stormed for the exit. He did not care about the shouting behind him. He did not care about the threats they gave him. He did not care about the pain of his still bleeding wounds. He had to make it back to Ruby. He had to make sure that she was safe. He could not fail her this time.

* * *

Roman sprinted all the way back to Beacon. He only stopped to change into Cobalt’s clothes and bandage his wounds with scraps of fabric from his suit. It did cross his mind that he just endangered Junior and Neo with his actions but he knew that they would be fine. Junior was Cinder’s information broker so he knew how to lay low. He knew that no prison in the world could hold Neo so she would have been able to escape. 

He also just lost all trust of the criminal world. A thief’s honor was a very real thing and by Cinder forcing his hand, she made it so nobody in the underworld, even those loyal to him, would have to do as he says. It all depended on their sense of loyalty. He shook his head and pushed those worries away. He would deal with them another time.

On the way there he pulled out his scroll to call someone he never thought he would be going to for help but he was desperate.

“Hello? Who is this?” He heard Blake say from the receiver.

“Blake! Listen to me, I need you to-”

“What?! Cobalt! How did you-”

“Ruby gave me your number. But she's in danger right now and I need to know something before I get back to Beacon. Where is-”

“Wait Ruby’s in danger? What's going on?” 

“Where is Ruby?!”

“She was so focused on getting everything ready so we could go to sleep early tonight that she forgot to brush her teeth. She left for the communal bathroom a few minutes ago.”

“Thank you. Now one more thing-”

“Now why did you call me? What's going on?”

“I don't know! What's Emerald’s semblance?!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I've seen you spending a lot of time with her so you have to know. Please, I know we don't get along but this is a matter of life and death.”

“Umm… Okay… She calls it Nightmare Fuel. She can make people conjure up traumatic experiences. They're still in reality and can move and whatnot but what they see isn't real. It's like a hallucination.”

“DAMN IT!”

“Wait, what does this have to do with Ruby? What's going on-”

He just hung up and spent all of his mental focus on increasing his speed all the way to Beacon.

Rushing through the front doors nothing looked off. He ran as fast as he could towards Ruby’s room hoping and praying that nothing happened to her. A few hallways before he made it there he heard a bloodcurdling scream. He could tell instantly that it was Ruby. Running at a speed that put Ruby’s semblance to shame he flinched at the sound of every gunshot ringing through the halls. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. His breathing was heavy. His muscles burned and his reopening wounds bled wet hellfire. 

Crashing into several walls on the way he finally saw her. She was on her knees, holding her smoking gun-scythe and covered in blood at the end of the hallway. She was hyperventilating while shielding her eyes. He made sure to slow down to not hurt her when he pulled her into his embrace.

“Oh thank goodness you're alright!” He yelled as he patted her body checking for any injuries.

“Get away from me!” She kicked and screamed.

“Ruby it's alright. It's me.”

“R-Roman?” She whimpered. She looked up at him and upon seeing his face she began crying even harder.

“You're not hurt are you?”

“No.” She threw her arms around him and pressed herself against him hard enough that it made it difficult to breathe but Roman did not care.

His wounds screamed with agony from the contact but he welcomed it. Just having Ruby alive and in his arms was enough to make tears swell in his eyes. “You don't have to worry about anything. I'm here and I'll make sure nobody hurts you. I'll protect you and keep you safe. You don't have to be afraid. I love you Ruby. I'll love you forever.”

Between rushed breaths and sobs Ruby said “I was so scared. I've never been more afraid in my entire life. I didn't know what to do. He tried to use me. He wanted my body and wouldn't take no for an answer. I had no other choice. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“You don't have to be sorry about anything. You were forced to do it. But everything's going to be alright. You have to believe me. Everything will be alright.”

“I believe you. I love you.”

Roman looked over at the dead body lying twenty feet from where he found Ruby. Cardin was lying in a pool of blood that spouted from several holes spread throughout his chest and a single hole right between the eyes. It was sickening. He knew that Emerald caused this. Somehow she did. He swore to himself that he would hunt Emerald down and find the meaning behind all this. He would then be able to fix things. However, that did not change the fact that Cardin was now dead. 

He had taken a life of his own that night but he could not focus on that now. He would just have to repress the memory; as long as Ruby was safe then he would live. He would have to. Ruby came first.

This was likely the first life she had ever taken. It was going to be part of her job eventually but nobody deserved to have their innocence stripped away so soon. And in such a way too. He held onto Ruby even tighter, ensuring that nobody could harm her or take her away from him. He had the feeling that the repercussions of this would change both their lives forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I had originally written a scene between Cardin and Ruby during the incident but I cut it because I felt disgusting reading it. And writing it. It just made me feel disgusting in general so I cut it but it still had to happen for my plot progression so I skipped over it. I don't think anyone's going to mind. In case anyone asks, yes Cardin was stopped by Ruby’s actions before he was able to use her. And was that real or an illusion? Roman doesn't know and neither do you. But you'll both find out next chapter.
> 
> Also the difference between Emerald’s and Neo’s semblances is that Emerald can put the victim in a hallucinogenic trance while Neo creates memories to be inserted. 
> 
> Under Emerald’s Nightmare Fuel a person can still act under an illusion the victim’s mind created, while under Neo's influence the person is frozen in time while they are living out the memory she made personally. 
> 
> This will be relevant soon enough if not already. I tried my best at explaining it in the story but I understand that it can get confusing. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask (unless it's for spoilers, no spoilers).


	36. Shattered World

“Why is it that every time you're in here it's because you're involved with some predicament?” Ozpin said with a hint of annoyance.

“I don't know sir.” Roman responded. He was sitting in a chair in Ozpin’s office. His skin was pale and he knew he looked like crap. He had not slept all night. He was too worried about what was going to happen to Ruby. He hung his head in a combination of tiredness and resignation. 

“It has gotten to the point that it is no longer appearing to be a coincidence. Are you aware of that?”

“Quite sir.”

“Then can you please explain to me why you have assault and battery charges filed against you for attacking law enforcement officers?”

Roman smiled mischievously. “Well to tell you the truth that was a team effort.” He said looking back fondly upon the acts of violence he committed last night.

“We're dealing with Ms. Xiao Long, Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Schnee later today. Right now they're detained to their dorm room. Please focus upon answering the questions only pertaining to you. Why did you attack the officers?”

Roman brought his hands into the air and played the innocent card. “I felt as if I had no other choice. They were trying to take Ruby away.”

Ozpin took another sip of his mug and brought it down forcibly. His glare told Roman that he was done playing games. In a slightly sterner tone he said “They were going to take her in for questioning.”

Roman felt himself grow hot. “They were trying to convince her that this is her fault. Stuff like ‘What were you wearing?’ as if she was asking for it. I couldn't let that stand.” He said raising his voice.

“I'll deal with them and their disgusting behavior later. Right now I want to know your opinion on the story.”

“My opinion! You want my fucking opinion?! This is rape culture!”

“Mr. Cyan please take your seat and calm down. I'm-”

“I will not calm down! Ruby is in jail right now because she defended herself from someone trying to rape her! Don't you think she's been through enough already that she doesn't need to suffer any more?! How is any of this justice?!” Yelled Roman as he slammed his fist down on the table. 

It echoed around the room sending it into silence. Ozpin took a deep breath before saying. “Mr. Cyan I have no doubt that she believed she was telling the truth when she told her story to the authorities. But that doesn't change the evidence stacked against her.”

“What evidence?!”

“The video tapes. They tell a story that is very different from Ms. Rose’s.”

Roman raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. “What? How?”

“Unfortunately the videotape footage we have shows no confrontation between the two. Mr. Winchester remained at least twenty feet away from her at all times. He said nothing aggravating and even expressed some minor concern over Ms. Rose. The closest he got was when he asked if everything was alright.”

“He tried to rape her!”

“The evidence we have suggests otherwise. Ms. Rose was the first to strike and did so preemptively. This fits her into the qualifications to be charged with murder.”

Roman stood up breathing heavily. He felt like a bull about to charge some unfortunate passerby. “I want to see the footage.”

“Mr. Cyan please understand that this is sensitive material-”

“I WANT TO SEE THE FOOTAGE!”

Ozpin sighed and motioned for Roman to join him behind his holographic monitor. “Alright, here it is.”

Roman watched the footage like a scholar, searching for anything that would hint at Emerald being involved. Cinder said that Emerald was going to do something and this was the only thing that happened to Ruby last night. But Ozpin was right. The video clearly showed that Cardin was just walking along when Ruby started yelling and pulled out her weapon and shot him.

But one thing stuck out. There was a thin band of green in the bottom left hand corner. It was a bright mint green. An _emerald_ green.

“Emerald.” He whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“Emerald Sustrai. Right there.” He pointed. “It looks like her hair.”

Ozpin leaned forward and straightened his glasses. “I can see why you think that. But this could simply be a glitch in the system. What made you think of Ms. Sustrai?”

“I think she's involved somehow.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I just do alright? My instincts are telling me so.”

“Your instincts?”

“Could you please just look into her for me? Please sir?”

Ozpin looked into Roman’s eyes for a short second before letting out a sigh. “Very well. I'll have it be a personal investigation. In the meantime I still have to hand this video over to the authorities.”

Roman stared off into the distance thinking to himself but Ozpin must have seen the concern in his face because a short second later he said “There is one solution that can save her from being put upon death row.” 

With a grave expression he continued. “It is clear that her mental stability was very weak during the event. I have received multiple cases of people coming to me in concern over her recent changes in mood whether good or bad. We could save her from the chair if we get her to plead not guilty by insanity.”

“What?!”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No! She's not crazy! Can't you do something to fix this? Don't you have enough power that by the wave of your hand you can do anything?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“That's bullshit! You were able to cover up the entire event of when Cardin attacked Ruby and I ran in to save her. You were able to hide that from the public even though there were plenty of witnesses. How can you not be able to fix this? Surely you have something you can do?” Roman pleaded.

Ozpin took off his glasses and closes his eyes. “I wish I could. Really I do. Unfortunately with the increased tensions of the four kingdoms any use of power would be put under scrutiny. Roman Torchwick’s attack on Mistral has everything too on edge. I have already exerted all of my power trying to keep civil order. I have nothing left to wield in this unfortunate case. There are limits to even what I can do. I'm sorry.”

Roman felt like the world was slipping through his fingers. Ruby was his everything and yet he could do nothing but watch as her life fell apart because of him. He wracked his brain for something to explain their plan. Ruby must have seen something that was not real. Even though her eyes were glossy like with Neo, this was different than her memory insertions. Ruby saw an illusion that allowed her to still move in real time. She was living a nightmare.

But why go through all this? Emerald could have easily killed Ruby. Why did she not if she had every ability to? Mercury said something about her liking to play with… Her food… “Damn it! I won't let this stand!” Roman snarled.

Ozpin returned the harsher tone to say “Mr. Cyan I want her out of there as much as you do. But I-”

“No you don't!” Roman yelled. He stormed off from the table and walked to the elevator. “There's something seriously fucked up with society if it's okay to punish victims of sexual assault. 

Even if it was a hallucination, SO FUCKING WHAT?! She still saw someone try to use her and that's an experience no human being should ever have happen to them. She should be surrounded by friends and family trying to console and help her instead of her being imprisoned. The fact that you can't see how fucked up this is concerns me about your eligibility to lead. Besides, I'm not talking about her being arrested. I have to get going.”

“This meeting isn't over. You can't just lea-”

“I'll do whatever the hell I want. I'm not going to sit around and wait for things to get better. I need to take matters into my own hands.”

Ozpin remained silent until Roman almost made it out before he said “Mr. Cyan why are you afraid?”

Roman froze in his tracks. He turned his head around slowly and said “Why am I afraid? Only because the one person in this world who means more to me than anything else’s life is in danger.”

“I assure you that at least a week will pass before Vale’s police department will do anything.”

“If I'm right, and I pray to God that I'm not, then Ruby won't be alive by the end of the week.”

Ozpin squinted and leaned forward to say “What do you think is going to happen?”

Roman felt hot with his pent up energy fuming in him. He opened the elevator and right before he closed the doors he said “I'd love to answer your questions but I'm running out of time. I apologize in advance for anything destructive I may do.”

Roman went back to his dorm room and packed his things as fast as he could. He knew that however things went he was likely not ever coming back. He looked at the cleared, blank room and thought of the many memories he made here. He would make sure he did not forget any of them anytime soon. 

It did not take long to get to the police station. Slung over his right shoulder was his bag carrying his supplies from Beacon. In his left hand he held a bouquet of roses that he picked up from a street vendor. He found it fitting that they were roses but it did little to appease his nerves. He wanted to do something nice and it would serve as a perfect alibi for what he was about to do. He walked up to the woman at the front desk and asked “I would like to visit an inmate please.”

He felt absolutely horrible saying it. It should have been the other way around. He should have been the one in a cell. He wished that their roles were reversed. At least he deserved it. He was the one who beat several police officers unconscious. Of course he could not have done it without the help of Ruby’s team. They had stood together to protect Ruby until she surrendered herself. The look of defeat on her face had hurt more than any scar of his. He then shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at the woman. She never moved. 

Roman eyebrows furrowed and he snapped his fingers by her face a few times. She remained just as unresponsive as before. Then he noticed the glossy look in her eyes. _The glossy look in her eyes._

_Neo._

He gasped and dropped the flowers and the bag. His heartbeat spiked and he felt the blood drain from his face. Goosebumps covered him and he broke out into a cold sweat. He put one foot forward but almost collapsed. His stomach heaved but he forced himself to keep moving forward. His slow stagger gradually increased into a full out sprint with every glossy eyed guard he passed. He snatched several sets of keys to get past several security doors. 

He turned around a final corner into the juvenile wing and he saw the two of them. Neo was looking at Emerald with a face of disgust while Emerald stood in front of the cell. He heard Ruby’s bloodcurdling scream echo through the halls. He felt hot. He began breathing heavily. His teeth began grinding so hard he could almost taste ground enamel. A low, animalistic growl erupted from the bottom of his throat as he charged forward. His growl slowly developed into a full-fledged battle cry when his vision turned red.

Emerald turned from her laughing fit at the last second to see his bull charge. She sidestepped his main lunge but some of her shoulder got hit and she flew sideways against the opposite wall of cells. Roman turned around and aimed another charge but this time armed with his hunting knife. He wished he had not dropped his bag which held his staff but he would not complain about the knife. After all he wanted to skin her alive for the amount of pain she brought Ruby.

Metal collided with metal as she parried his knife and brought her other revolver-sickle down on him. He had nothing to use to stop the blade so he caught it with his left hand. He ignored the pain and bleeding in his hand and stared at her eye to eye. The two of them were caught in gridlock with neither side holding back. 

Emerald had a deranged look to her. It was as if she was finally releasing her inner self, or in this case her inner monster.

She grinned a toothy smile. With a chuckle she said “You really thought you could stop this didn't you? This is hilarious. Look at her.”

Roman glanced over for a second to see Ruby. Ruby’s eyes were so glossy they almost looked dead. She was curled into a fetal position in the corner. Her eyes had a never ending stream of tears and her screams never stopped. To hear her in pain made him feel as if his heart was ripped out of his chest.

He turned back to Emerald when she began laughing. “You're too late. You know, most people I've done this to weren't so responsive. She must have a lot to fear to see whatever she is. But this is great. I can drag this out for as long as I could ever want. As long as I'm alive then the vision will go on forever and ever and-”

A peculiar sound interrupted her. It sounded kind of like a cross between someone squeezing an over-saturated sponge and someone stepping on eggshells. It originated from Emerald. Both of them contorted their faces in confusion and looked down to see the end of a thin blade sticking out of her left breast. They could see the thin glow of her aura desperately trying to heal the puncture to her heart. Emerald looked into his eyes with rage but when she tried to speak she choked on her own blood and collapsed. Behind her stood a furious Neo holding the hilt of the blade. 

_[Rot in hell you fucking cunt.]_ She signed to Emerald’s body.

Roman wasted no time in unlocking Ruby’s cell with one of the keys he “borrowed” from a frozen guard and swept her into his arms. He held her as tight as he could and could not help himself from crying. Out of fear or relief he did not know but it did not matter: Ruby was safe.

“R-R-Roman?” She quivered while looking up at him. The glossiness was gone and so was the illusion.

He started kissing away her tears. “I'm here Ruby. The nightmare’s over.”

She shoved her head against his chest and cried out “I thought you were dead!” 

“Whatever you saw wasn't real.”

“It felt real. It felt too real.”

The two of them stood there holding onto each other for dear life. Roman turned his head to the side and snapped “Neo explain this now!”

_[Look I didn't want anything to do with this. I had no idea about Emerald planting Ruby an illusion last night until this morning. I stumbled upon Emerald earlier today and I decided to tag along to see what happened. I was told to take care of the guards so I did. But when we got here… This is not what I expected. I knew that she was going to assassinate somebody but this is beyond inhumane. Torturing someone into suicide… She wanted Ruby to bite off her own tongue. If you hadn't have come I was going to kill her anyway.]_

Roman could barely control himself. Emerald was going to torture Ruby into committing suicide? He wanted Emerald to get up just so he could kill her over and over again. He let out in a harsh whisper “Don't you see it Neo? What they're willing to do? Why Cinder must be stopped?”

_[I’m sorry Roman. You may be willing to switch sides but I'm not yet. Even with what I just saw. But don't take this as a betrayal. You mean more to me than Cinder by several leagues. I'll give her a lie that she'll believe to make her think you don't mean anything to me anymore. But this is just my way of life and I'm not ready to give up on it yet. Don't worry though; I'll make sure to halt any attempt to find you. I'll give you regular updates on her plans. When the final battle comes then we'll see what side I choose.]_

“So this is it? That's your choice?”

_[Yes.]_

“Alright then… Take care Neo… I'll see you later and hopefully not on a battlefield.”

_[By the way Ruby’s scythe is being held down the hall and on the first room on your right. You might want to pick that up.]_

With that she was gone. Roman turned back to the shaking Ruby in his arms. The amount of pain she had to go through had to be unimaginable. But he needed to get her out of here before anyone else showed up. “Ruby I know now is a bad time but we need to go. I have several locations where we can hide and they'll never find us.”

She let out a pained whisper. “I need to see my team.”

“Don't you realize what just happened? They tried to kill you. You aren't safe here and you aren't safe at Beacon.”

She glanced up at him with pain filled eyes. “If I'm going to go with you for who knows how long I need to say goodbye to my team. I owe them that much.”

“Do you have any idea how much this increases the chances of us dying?!”

“I don't care.”

Roman sighed a heavy sigh. “Fine. But you're going to be the death of me you know that right?”

She sniffled and looked up at him with a weak smile. “I know.”

* * *

“Are you sure this will work?” Roman pestered.

Ruby threw another rock up at the window and said “It worked every time we snuck Sun into school.”

“How do we even know they're in the ro-”

The windows to RWBY’s room opened and one of the rocks they were throwing hit Weiss in the forehead. “OWWW!” She yelled. “Who threw a rock… Ruby!” 

Roman took his grappling hook and threw it up at the base of the windowsill. He gave it a few good tugs before he motioned for Ruby to go first. She climbed her way up with him close behind. Just when he made it up he heard Weiss ask “Haven't you ever heard of using doors?”

“Doors… Are for people… With no imagination…” Roman panted. He stood back up and could not help but let a small smile creep across his face at the sight of the three girls hugging Ruby. He decided that he would leave them be and get to work. He took his bag that he picked up at the front of the police station and started going through Ruby’s drawers looking for any clothes she would need.

Blake noticed what he was doing first and yelled “Why are you of all people going through her clothes. You don't get to see her underwear.”

“I'm not searching for underwear. Actually hold on that's the only thing that's left so technically I am. Ruby do you want to take care of that yourself?”

Ruby broke up from the hug and said “Sure.”

Yang asked “What's going on here? Ruby why are you still wearing orange jail clothes?” Yang’s eyes opened wide as she realized what that meant. She turned towards Roman and said “You didn't…”

Roman picked up their desk and pressed it up against the door. “I did and I'm proud of it.”

“How could you? Don't you realize how much more trouble this will-”

“Yang he saved me.” Ruby interrupted. “Emerald visited me and tried to torture me into committing suicide.”

Roman chimed in saying “She also gave Ruby the illusion that Cardin was trying to rape her.”

Blake squinted her eyes and said “Why would Emerald-”

Roman grabbed their bookcase, ignoring all of the books falling out, and set it in front of their desk blocking the door even more. “Because Emerald works for the same people I used too.”

Blake brought up her hands and clutched her head. Tears fell from her cheeks as she muttered “Oh my god. I told Emerald about your relationship. I didn't think they'd do anything. They just wanted information on finding Torchwick so it slipped. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“Blake!” Yang yelled.

Weiss put her hands on her hips and said “Do you realize that this could've killed Ruby?!”

“I said I was sorry!”

Ruby rushed forward and gave Blake a big hug. “I forgive you.”

Blake’s frame tensed up as if the contact was foreign. “What?”

“I forgive you. You didn't know this would happen. Besides I kind of had it coming after lying to you so much.”

“Ruby you didn't lie that much. You only covered up your relationship with Cobalt… Right?” Weiss said raising an eyebrow.

“Yang, Blake, Weiss, I'd like you all to meet my boyfriend Roman Torchwick.” She leaned up to give Roman a quick kiss for good measure.

Everyone in the room froze. Roman looked into the eyes of her teammates and gave a weak smile. Their only response was Yang bringing out a very familiar looking set of hedge clippers. When she snapped them a few times he could feel his face grow pale.

He leaned down to whisper into Ruby’s ear. “I thought we discussed that we'd bring this up in a much more opportune setting. Like when you're living on your own or when you're on your deathbed.”

Ruby whispered back “If things go for the worst this may be the last time I see them. I don't want to have any regrets.”

Roman let out a short, nervous laugh before he directed his attention to the other girls in the room. “I appreciate the gesture, really I do, but the clippers can wait for another time. Time is not on our side right now.”

They remained frozen as if they never heard him. In fact they appeared not to even breathe; they only stared at the couple. Roman whispered again “They're not saying or doing anything.”

“I'm right here, I can see that.”

“Do you know why your sister's hair is on fire?”

“That happens time to time.”

“As crazy as it sounds, they're taking this a lot better than I thought they wou-”

Roman was interrupted by the following series of actions. The rampage that ensued can only be described as a sinister concoction of unbridled violence with a side of unholy screaming.

Roman had recently learned to look at the positive side of life and believed that now was a good time to apply it. When they all go for your throat, there's only enough room for one to attack.

Specifically, a fiery-haired blond standing over where he now lay who was trying to make good use of those hedge clippers by trying to sever his head. They were at stalemate with the blade hovering inches above his neck while Ruby was doing her best to hold off Weiss and Blake.

“STOP IT! ALL OF YOU!” Ruby screamed off the top of her lungs. Her outburst bought enough time to push Weiss and Blake back while pushing the clippers to the side. With Roman no longer pushing back, the clippers embedded themselves in the wooden flooring next to him. Just before the three could make another attack, Ruby jumped in front of Roman, who was still trying to get up, and outstretched her arms.

“Please stop! I know you are feeling upset, I would be too. But we don't have time to fight about this.”

“Get out of the way Ruby!” Yang growled. “As soon as I'm done with him we are going to have a serious talk young lady!”

“If you actually give a _damn_ about me AT ALL, then you'd listen to me right now because it might be your last chance to do so!”

That shut them up. Relishing in every second of his prolonged existence, Roman said “She's right, we don't have much time.”

“What do you mean?” Blake hesitantly asked.

“Considering my boss knows about my relationship with Ruby, and Emerald hasn't reported in yet, they're likely to assume Emerald is dead. And they would be right. But that means that there are reinforcements heading our way as we speak. We need to leave within the next five minutes.”

Weiss gave a questioning glare and asked “So who's coming after you?” 

“Mercury, the White Fang, mercenaries, a god, who knows? But I don't plan on staying long enough to find out.”

They heard something slam against the door and then heard Mercury yell “I know you're in there! Get out here now or I'm coming in!”

“Speak of the devil there he is. Whelp that's our cue that it's time to start heading off.”

Yang directed her attention to Ruby. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself and come to terms with the situation. Anyone could see her mental struggle with grasping the situation. Hesitantly, she asked “How long do you plan on being gone?”

“I don't know.”

“But you're my little sister. How am I supposed to entrust this man with your life?”

“He betrayed his boss and the White Fang. He wants to switch to our side.”

“Can't you talk this through with Ozpin?!”

Roman gave out a short laugh. “Yeah right. I talked to him earlier and he said he didn't have the power to free Ruby. What makes you think that he'll have the power to pardon me? Not to mention that he's failed at protecting his students.”

“There has to be some other way!”

Ruby sighed and said “If there is then we'll come up with it later. Right now we don't have time. Roman knows these people the best and I think I'd be safer with him.”

Yang, Blake, and Weiss all hung their heads in realization that nothing they could do would change Ruby's mind. She really was leaving.

The sound of whatever was ramming the door was steadily growing louder. Roman pulled at his collar and said with mild urgency “Ruby we need to get going.”

Ruby grabbed her teammates and pulled them into a group hug. “I'm really, really sorry to spring this on all of you so fast. I don't know how long I'll be gone or even if I'll see any of you ever again. But I love you all and I'll miss you.”

“How can we trust that you'll be safe if you don't know if you can come back?” Yang whispered.

Roman was now pushing against the shaking door. “Because I'll die before I allow another person to harm her. I swear my life on that.”

Roman stared into Yang’s red eyes when she said “You better bring her back. If not I'll track you down and won't hold back with the clippers.”

“If I can't bring her back I'll find you and do the honors myself.”

Blake gave him a questioning look and said “Why are you doing this? Why are you of all people risking their life to save a huntress?”

“Why? It might seem like a stupid answer but the truth is that I finally have something to fight for. With Ruby’s help I've learned to let go of my desire for revenge. I finally see light in this world and it all sprouts from her. I love her.”

“Just out of curiosity, how old are you?” Yang interjected.

“Younger than you think but older than you'd like.”

“That's not an answer.” Weiss said bluntly.

Ruby turned around to defend Roman. “I know but I don't view him as a number. I see him for who he is.” She ran forward to give him a small squeeze of a hug.

“A criminal?” Said Weiss crossing her arms.

Roman raised his index finger to refute. “An ex-criminal, thank you very much.”

“This is still concerning.”

“Jesus Christ why must everyone make such a big deal about this? Look we can debate the morality of this another time when there's not a door being the only thing separating us from an assassin. Ruby did you get all the clothes and things you want to bring?”

“Yeah but I couldn't find my storybook.”

Roman pulled it out of his jacket and said with a smile “Already had it covered. I didn't want you to forget it.”

She grabbed it and held it against her chest. “Thank you.” She whispered.

Roman pulled a flash drive out of one of his many pockets and tossed it at Weiss. “What's this?” She asked.

“It contains all of the information I have access to on the White Fang and their operations. I don't know the full plan but there's enough on that to be a good punch to the gut. I included my plans of all of my previous attacks which should show that I have some human decency. Just make sure it gets put to good use. I don't have enough resources to bring down my boss on my own.”

Blake stared at him up and down like she just now noticed he was in the room with them. “So…. You're actually helping us?”

“Gee it only took you this long to figure that out?”

Ruby glared at him and said “Roman…” 

“You know I don't act well when I'm stressed.”

“Roman I have some things I need to say first then we can go.”

“Alright but keep in mind that Mercury isn't here for tea. He's stopped for now but he's probably getting help.”

Ruby turned towards Weiss and brought her into a hug. “Weiss, I know that we started off pretty rough but I'm glad we became friends. You’ve grown up so much since I first met you. You should be proud of yourself and keep doing what you are.”

Ruby broke up her hug with Weiss to give Blake one of her own. “Blake, I know you of all people don't trust Roman. You have every reason to. But what I'm saying isn't some fantasy or lie or trick. He really has changed. I'm sorry for lying to you. I've known who he was for a while now. I know that you're probably furious at me but please don't push yourself too hard to get me back. We all have our limits and we all need to rest sometimes. Just take care of yourself.”

Finally came Yang. Ruby fumbled awkwardly before finally taking a deep breath to say “Yang, I want to apologize. I'm sorry that I never came to you. I'm sorry I never told you that I felt like I was trapped. Don't blame yourself for anything that happens. This is my life and my choice to make. I knew that there were risks staying with him. I knew that I was playing with fire. Now I've finally gotten burned. If I don't come back-”

Yang closed the distance between them and brought her into a loving embrace. “No! Don't say such a thing! You're coming back, I know you are.”

Ruby hugged back and said “Yang please. This is hard enough for me already. I want to thank you. For everything. Whether it was when we were kids or even now you've always done what you thought was best for me. That's something I won't ever forget. I love you Yang.”

“I love you too, Ruby.”

Roman could not help but sniffle from the display of emotion before him. It most certainly did not help ease his feeling of guilt. He blamed himself for all that was happening.

“Oh look, the monster has a heart.” Weiss scoffed.

Roman blinked away anything resembling a tear and said “Speak for yourself Ice Queen. Speak for yourself.”

“Alright, I've said what I needed to. I'm ready to go. Goodbye everyone.” Said a teary eyed Ruby as she started climbing down the rope hanging from their window.

Roman made sure to check that she made it down safely before he turned to her teammates. They all held tears in their eyes and were glaring daggers at him. He looked at the ground and sighed unable to face their menacing gaze. “No words can express how sorry I am. I know that none of you trust me and I understand why. You have every reason to. But I will sacrifice everything, even my life if I must, to make sure she makes it back to you all safely. I promise.”

Blake wiped her face with the back of her hand before saying coldly “How do we know you'll actually keep that promise? I was right about who you are. You're Torchwick. A liar, cheater, thief and murderer.”

“I will keep my promise because I do whatever it takes to survive. Even if that means that I must lie, cheat, steal or kill.”

Weiss put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “And that answers the question, how?”

Roman ignored her question until he was far enough down the rope that he was about out of eyesight from where they stood. He looked up one last time to say “Because I can't survive without her.” He slid down the rope to look into silver, teary eyes.

“What did you say?” Ruby asked.

“Some words of encouragement.”

“Alright. Are you ready?”

Roman assumed the position that Ruby had told him earlier. He rolled his eyes and asked “Must we travel like this?”

She looked back once to give a weak smile. “Come on Ginger Snaps. If you ride on my back while I use my semblance then I can make sharper turns and stop on a dime without hurting you.”

“But it looks really weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like I'm humping you.”

“...It does?”

“Yes.”

“Well I'll just have to run fast enough that nobody can see us. Hold on tight.”

“You know could we discuss this fur-”

His words were stripped from his mouth as Ruby began sprinting off at the speed of a bullet heading towards one of Roman’s safe houses.

* * *

Ruby followed the instructions that Roman gave to her. They ended up stopping in a grimy alleyway. Ruby watched where she stepped because she could not tell if what she was stepping on was mud or something far more disgusting. Eventually they reached a gap in the building that revealed the door to a locked underground shelter. While Roman played with the keys Ruby had that eerie feeling of something watching her. Something ethereal like a ghost or a memory.

“Roman do you think you can hurry it up?” Ruby whispered while darting her eyes around in the shadows.

“Come on I know I have the key on me… There got it.”

It opened with an overly loud creek that did not help their attempt at secrecy. Roman walked down a few steps to gesture for her to follow. She walked down into the darkness only to have the door slam shut behind her making her jump. It was pitch black and reeked of dust and mold. 

“Where is that cursed light switch… Aha! Here it is.”

Even with the single light on it hardly illuminated the room at all. It had a cold concrete flooring with eroding concrete brick walls. In the center were several shelves of preserved food that looked like they had been down there for half a century. This scenery did nothing to ease the sounds of dripping water combined with the crawling of who knows what.

“You live down here?” She whispered.

“Goodness no! Well, at least not in a long while.” 

He walked confidently over to a bookcase in the far corner that he pushed out of the way. Behind it held a rusty door to an elevator. He pressed the button to go up but nothing lit up.

“I think you have to-”

“Give it time. Trust me it will be worth it.”

With a sharp ding the doors opened to show a decently furnished elevator with soothing music playing in the background. Ruby would not refer to it as well made but compared to the basement it was a palace.

When the doors open again Ruby gasped. What was once a palace was now a shabby hut compared to the throne room of God that lay before her. Everything was new. Everything was shiny. Everything was of the colors red, orange, white and black. To her right was a floor to ceiling window that stretched outwards and even curved around to form the wall in front of her. To her left was a well-furnished kitchen with a sidebar as a dining table, a hallway leading to who knows what and a double door leading to what appeared to be a bedroom. In front of her lay an impression that went down two steps. It held two couches and chairs centered around a main coffee table on dark polished wooden flooring. 

“Welcome to my humble abode. I can almost guarantee that nobody will find us here. Almost… But that's beside the point. This should be a prime place of operations for bringing down Cinder. What do you think?”

“I think you have a lot of money. This kind of goes against my idea of you being poor.”

“Well when you have my career you never live long so I decided that I would live life to the fullest. I realize things may be a little over the top but do make yourself at home. The bed is yours and I'll be sleeping on the couch if you so wish. If you would excuse me I need to take care of something really quick. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

With that he walked into the bedroom and shut the door. Ruby sat herself down on one of the couches and set her stuff down next to her. She had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised. She really did think that they would be staying in the basement. Instead she was at a five-star suite on the top floor. It made her feel like she was some queen, not a runaway criminal.

“Ah, yes. This is sooooo much better.” She heard Roman say from behind her.

Ruby turned around and giggled. He was dressed in his normal Roman Torchwick apparel with his white suit and gray scarf. She had become so used to seeing him wear that blue trenchcoat that anything else made him look ridiculous.

“What's so funny?”

“You're wearing that.”

He walked over to the kitchen while saying “Well sorry I like to stick to the classics. I prefer this over that blasted trenchcoat any day.”

Ruby let him be and began studying her surroundings again. There was one thing in particular that he appeared to be missing. “Roman? Where's your TV? I want to see if there's been any new White Fang attacks so we could try to find a pattern.”

“First of all as a man who has the White Fang’s plans for the next month I can guarantee you that there should be nothing. Also, even if there was couldn't you just look it up on your scroll?”

“Yeah but it's not the same. So where's the TV?”

“Don't have one.” He said bluntly.

Ruby turned around to stare at him with her mouth open. Roman must have noticed her silence because he turned from taking inventory to say “Open that mouth any wider and I'll mop the floor with it.”

“How can you not have a TV?”

“Everything on television is complete garbage. You are aware that everything open to the media is run by six companies right? They collaborate together to limit what the public has access to.”

“You sound like a conspiracy theorist.”

“It's not a theory when it's true. Besides why do you need a television? You didn't have one in your room. You used your scroll to watch whatever you wanted. I don't see how a thirty six inch larger screen is going to help that much.”

“It's just not the same.”

“Please tell me how because I'm bewildered as to how it's oh so different.”

Ruby turned away from him unable to look at him. She stared at the ground as some bittersweet memories flooded into her mind. He deserved an answer but she was not going to spill everything. Otherwise she knew she would start crying again. “It reminds me of home. Back when I lived with my dad on Patch we would always have a TV on at all times so we would know immediately if my mom had been found. She never was.”

He did not respond for a good minute before he finally said “Damn. I didn't know. Look I'll see what I can do about a television tomorrow. Would you like spaghetti tonight? I hope you do because everything else I have is spoiled.”

She knew he was trying to change the subject but welcomed it. “Sure.” 

Taking the clanging of pots and pans as a sign that he was going to be busy for a while, Ruby grabbed her stuff and checked out the bedroom. It was really large with a queen sized bed with an outcrop to the right and a very large bathroom to the left. On either side of the bed were closets. Ruby opened one to find twelve different copies of his regular outfit as well as seven hats placed up above. She checked the tags and laughed when she saw he had one for every day of the week.

She moved on and found another one that had been emptied likely for her. She hung up all her stuff, changed her clothes, and then decided to walk out onto the outcrop. It was closed off so there was privacy but open enough that there was still a nice breeze. Ruby walked over to the fenced edge and looked down. She backed away instantly with the confirmation that they were in fact very high.

But she felt the pull of temptation. Something crept out of her darker side. Something that was telling her to jump. It replayed the horrors she was forced to see by the hand of Emerald. She knew that it was not real but that did not make it feel any less real. All of the pain, the worrying, the sadness. It was all telling her that one jump could end it all. One jump and she could be free from the pain.

Ruby ran back inside hyperventilating. She slumped to the ground against the glass door. Shaking her head a few times she felt a little better but it did nothing to ease her wave of nausea. That was more than just a minor thought. She was more scared of herself now than anyone else. She had to tell someone. The obvious answer was Roman but she did not want to bother him. He just betrayed what he referred to as a god so he probably had enough on his mind already. She did not need to add herself to that list of worries. She was strong. She was brave. She could deal with this herself.

She could deal with this herself.

She could deal with this herself.

_She could deal with this herself._

* * *

“Ruby! Dinner's ready!” Roman called out. He did not know where she was but the elevator never opened so there was no way she could have left. The front door was locked from the inside with a key only he held and he could feel it in his pocket. He made two bowls and sat them down on the sidebar where he had eaten countless meals alone. He was fortunate that at least once he was able to have some company. It would be a nice change.

A few minutes passed and he began to worry. With her appetite she would not be one to miss a meal. He got up from where he was waiting for her and checked in his other rooms. She was not in his laundry or computer room. He doubted she found the hidden exit to the roof. He left to check the bedroom but when he got there he saw the light under the door of the bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief that was short lived when he heard the noises coming from it. He heard the whine of a soft sob.

He lightly knocked and said “Ruby? Are you alright?”

His only answer was the familiar sound of someone throwing up.

He tried to keep his cool but he could not ignore that his hands were shaking. “If you're sick then I can help. I can make you some tea, prepare a damp washcloth to cool you off or I can get any amount of blankets you could want. Just please open the door and let me try to help.”

He heard the sound of her feet hitting the tile and the pacing told him that it was a slow and uneasy walk. The door opened with a loud creek that reflected the sound of his heart being torn to shreds. Ruby stood before him but he could hardly recognize her. She was hunched over and panting as if she finished running a marathon. Her eyes looked dark and hurt. Her skin was pale and he could see a combination of cold sweat and tears steadily running down her face. He stood there frozen wondering what could have happened to her in the short half hour that he was preparing dinner.

Before he could say anything she leaned forward to embrace him but her legs gave out beneath her. Roman dropped to his knees to catch her and she laid limp in his arms. He held her as tight as he could while she lay crying into his shoulder. He could feel her shaking and breathing short, rushed breaths. He carefully brushed her hair and rubbed her back to make up for his loss of words. 

She spoke quietly in a pained whisper. “I couldn't deal with it by myself.”

“Deal with what?” He asked in the most calming voice he could make.

“The pain. Why must everything hurt so much?”

“You're preaching to the choir here.” He muttered.

“I'm sorry. I don't want to bother you.”

“Ruby you are never a bother to me. I'm serious on this. I love you and everything about you. If you have a problem then it becomes my problem too. If something is hurting you this much then I need to know.”

His only response was Ruby wiping off some tears on his jacket before looking up at him. Her eyes told him all he needed to know. 

“It's everything Emerald showed you isn't it?”

She nodded gently and brought her face back into his chest.

“You can tell me anything you know. It doesn't matter how dark or horrible, how angering or infuriating, or how sad or mopey it is. I will never hold anything against you.”

Roman sighed after a few minutes of neither of them moving or saying anything. He picked her up bridal style, grabbed a tissue box, and sat down on the couch. He made sure that if she laid back she would have pillows to rest her head on. For the moment she seemed content to hide her face in his white suit. He was willing to wait though. He would wait as long as it took.

* * *

When he thought to himself that he would wait as long as it took it never occurred to him that it would take that long. When he finally woke up the windows in front of him revealed the kingdom of Vale shining in all its glory, bringing light to the world immersed by the darkness of the night. He could not help but smile at the memory of when he first traveled with her using her semblance. Since then he had grown to find the lights beautiful.

He brought his head down to look at her but stopped when his chin pressed up against the top of her head. She had her head nestled against his neck and she was sitting in his lap on her side. His arms were by his side and he brought them up to wrap them around her. 

“You're awake.”

He gasped and tried to calm his breathing. Had she not been laying on him, she would have sent him jumping out of his seat. 

“I'm sorry I scared you.” She said in a calm voice. Almost too calm.

“No problem at all.” He breathed out. “A good scare is always healthy for the lungs.”

“Your heart’s racing.”

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“I tried to commit suicide.”

Roman’s eyes bulged wide while he felt his blood freeze. What was once a warm room, now reminded of having to sleep on a sidewalk in a blizzard. He became afraid to breathe much less move. 

“Roman remember to breathe.”

“Of-of-of course.”

Roman sat there frozen. His mind went blank. He did not know what to say or how to say it. But it felt like she was waiting on him so he very awkwardly said “We-Well I'm glad it failed.”

_“Smooth Roman. Real smooth. That was about as smooth as sandpaper. You wiped your own ass with sandpaper.”_ He thought to himself.

Roman at this point was talking in almost indistinguishable rambles. “That sounded really bad Ruby I'm so sorry! I just didn't know what to say. I'm so afraid. The idea that I could've lost you is just too much to bear. I'm sorry if I caused this. Please don't leave me yet, you showed me light in this world. Ican’tlivewithoutyou. Iloveyou.-”

“Roman… Please breathe.”

“Ruby I'm so sorry. I'll do whatever-”

“Roman…”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Just… Don't go… Keep breathing… Your heartbeat is relaxing…”

Roman felt the first of many tears fall when he said “I'll do whatever you want. Just please promise me you won't try to do that again.”

“...I promise.”

“Now for my following questions, please be honest?”

“Okay.”

“Do I need to get you medical attention?”

“No.”

“Are you at least safe for tonight?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Alright, we can discuss this more tomorrow. You will still be here tomorrow, right?” 

“Yes.”

Roman really wanted to talk about it right then and there but he felt as if neither Ruby nor himself had the strength to do so. Ruby sounded like she could fall asleep any minute and he felt like he was on the verge of a meltdown. They needed to rest before they could appropriately discuss this. “Do you want to go to bed?”

“Only if you go with me.”

Roman picked her up again and ignored his wobbling legs as he took her into the bedroom. The moonlight lit the room with its cold radiance and reflected how he felt inside. Ruby looked exceptionally pale but alive. He tried to set her down to change but she never let go of him. “I'm still in my day clothes.” He said.

“I don't care.”

That was the end of it. Roman plopped down next to her and brought the covers up over them. As soon as he did he felt her snuggle into him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face into his neck.

“Roman…” She murmured.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For being you. For being my lifeline. For reminding me of why I want to live.”

Roman closed his eyes and croaked as he tried to stifle a cry. “It was no trouble at all.”

He returned her embrace and held her as tight as he could. He held onto her tighter than anything else he ever had. He made sure to stay up until he felt her breathing on his neck slow down into the steady rhythm of sleep. Roman decided he would stay up the entire night to watch over her in case she needed anything. All the while, he was much too aware of both the dangers that threatened them out in the world and within their own mind.


	37. Life Gets Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter involves topics related to suicide. Just a heads up.

Roman was sitting down on the couch next to Ruby with the two of them staring out at the sunrise. Roman held her hand while he waited for Ruby to speak up. She broke the contact and brought her hands up to hide her face. “Look it's… It's just hard. I feel so stupid.”

Roman hugged her gently and kissed her head. “If it's hurting you this much then it's not stupid. I know I may not be able to fix whatever's wrong but I at least would like to know what caused this?”

Ruby remained silent. 

After a brief pause Roman said “When we first started dating I knew that there was going to be rough times. When you're in a relationship you aren't just dating a part of that person; you're dating all of them. You're dating their anger, sadness, jealousy and everything else. I know you feel as if you would be vulnerable but you shouldn't be afraid. I love you and that means all of you. I will never judge you and no problem is too large or too small for you to come to me. You've seen me at my darkest moments so I understand what it's like to be afraid to let things out. But nothing that you could ever say or do would stop me from loving you. So can you please tell me what's wrong?

She sniffled a little before she said “It's just that… I felt like my life was over. That everything I've ever done was just thrown out the window.”

“That's not true-”

“How would you know!” She snapped. “All you've ever wanted to do was to survive and get revenge. You don't have any rules you have to follow. You don't have a moral code! You don't have a voice that haunts you telling you that you're a murderer!”

“...Actually, I do.”

“You're just trying to make me feel better.”

“No, I'm serious.”

“Then… Then how do you block it out?”

“You don't.”

“That sure is helpful.” Ruby scoffed.

“If you do block it out then you're no better than the man I used to be. I'd gladly take hearing my conscience scream at me than revert back into that hollow shell of a man I was.”

Ruby paused to digest what he said before asking, “So what do I do?”

“You don't let it control you for one thing. You have to learn from it and make yourself a better person. I've had to learn from my mistakes and I've become a better man because of it. But the most important thing is that you keep on living. Keep moving forward.”

“But how can I keep on living if nothing can ever be the same? I'm not dumb. Before they took me away they let me talk to Ozpin. He explained to me earlier what would be the only thing that could keep me from the chair. Plead insanity! I was going to be locked up and drugged like I'm some permanently injured animal that everyone pities too much to put down. That's what my life has come to. I'm just a worthless animal.” She spat.

Roman gave her a soft squeeze before he said, “Ruby you are not an animal. You are a person. A magnificent and valuable person who has the ability to make people out of animals like me.”

“How's the rest of the world going to see that though?! I saw Cardin try to take advantage of me and I fired in self-defense. How can I say that when all the evidence shows him just standing there while I pulled out a gun and shot him? I thought I was going crazy and I know now that it was all an illusion but that doesn't make anything better. Cardin’s still dead and I killed him.”

“He did have it coming.”

Roman regretted saying that even before it finished leaving his mouth. Ruby jumped back from him, landing on the other side of the couch. Ruby looked straight at him with cold eyes before screaming “THAT’S NOT HELPING!”

Roman held his hands in the air and worked hard to make sure that his voice remained as soft and soothing as he could make it. “Alright, I'm sorry. That just slipped out. We can work on this. But I need you to understand something. Under no circumstances is death the answer. It won't solve anything. Got that?”

She brought her head down to look away from him and kept going on. “The idea had just crept into my head and I had nothing to fight against it. I had already said goodbye to my team, I know how tiny our chances of living past this are, and my chances of becoming a huntress were thrown out the window. So I tried to swallow every pill I could find. I didn't read any of the labels I just started going wild swallowing everything.”

“Then, how-”

“I threw them up. Once I finished I realized what I'd done. I started thinking about how you'd react. I know how much losing someone close means to you and I didn't want to die knowing that I ruined your life. I was fine taking my own but I didn't want to take you down with me. So I remembered hearing something about touching that hangy-thingy in the back of your mouth makes you throw up. I found out it's true. I did it over and over again until I was sure every last pill came up. You found me soon afterwards.”

He was taken aback by her jumping forward and pushing him back. He could hear her ragged breathing as she held onto the edges of his suit. She looked up at him to have him see a steady flow of tears falling down her cheeks. “I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me?” She was barely able to get out before she started crying into his undershirt.

Roman gently brought her into his embrace and said “No, I'm not mad.”

“You're lying.”

“I'm not-”

“Yes you are!” She screamed.

“No!” He shouted. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him eye to eye. “Look at me. I'm not mad. I'm just very, very afraid. I'm scared of the idea of losing you. I love you and I want to go on so many adventures with you. I want to make all your dreams reality and give you everything you ever wished for. I want us to eventually grow old together loving each other. But… But we can't do that if you're gone. Life hardly means anything to me if I don't have you to enjoy it with. You have so much left to do before you go.”

He leaned forward to give her a loving kiss. He was relieved to feel her muscles relax at the contact. After breaking the kiss he caressed her jawline to keep her face close to his. “I know things are rough,” he went on, “I know that things aren't easy. But things will get better. I promise.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Because I have you. You are what has made my life better and I plan on returning the favor. But I understand what you're going through. I understand more than you think.”

“How?”

“Because I have gone through something similar.” He let go of Ruby to roll up his sleeve. He felt his heart race as he revealed to her a secret that he had never told another living soul. He looked down to see the familiar streaks of even scars on both his wrist and up his arm.

“You-you tried-” He heard her stutter.

He could not meet her eyes. “Yes… I did.”

“But I thought you said you'd do anything to survive?”

“There is a difference between living and surviving. Once I had given up on living, surviving became the only thing left. But my way down that dark road was covered in thorns. Thorns that left nothing but scars and regret. So I understand what you're thinking. I understand that things may seem irreparable. But I need you to trust me. It will get better.”

He looked back up at her to say with a renewed confidence “Ruby, you are the strongest person I know. You'll get through this and I'll be here to help you every step of the way.”

They stared into each other's eyes waiting for the other to say something. Ruby parted her mouth a few times to say something but kept backing down. She breathed a stressed sigh and said “Roman you'll do anything for me right?”

“Of course.”

“Then I want you to erase a memory.”

“What?!” Roman yelled.

“I'm not asking for much. Just one memory in particular.”

“What of?”

“Emerald’s vision.”

“What did you see?”

Tears returned to her eyes once she began. “Wh-wh-what I saw was hell. I had to sit there and watch everyone I know slowly die. Weiss was frozen to death and I had to see her skin crack and break. Blake was dissected alive like she was some animal used for testing. Yang was burned slowly like she was some pig on a spigot. I-I saw you skinned alive. I had to watch the life leave your eyes while you bled out. Your last words were that you love me and that you would watch over me once you died. Do you have any idea how hard that was to watch?!”

Roman knew that it was bad but he never imagined that it would have been that bad. “I can't imagine the pain that had to have caused.”

“And Mom! Oh god Mom. She was the one doing it. She was the one who killed you all. And she never looked away from me with that smile she had when she gave me cookies as a kid. After every kill she would say that they died because of me. That it was because of me. That it was my fault. So please, I beg of you, get this out of my head!”

He could feel the pain. He could feel her pain of suffering, the pain of guilt and the pain of her rejection to his refusal. “I can't.”

“I understand that you don't like to use your semblance but please? Please help me?”

“Ruby I'm sorry but I won't.”

“Why not?! Nothing's holding you back. That's what first made me think of ending it all. I just need to get rid of it.”

“Ruby I'm not saying no just because I want to. I told you before that the higher the influence of the memory, the harder it is to delete. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad, the more it influences you the harder it is to get rid of. The mind holds onto core memories harder than others because they've been remembered so many times. To delete a memory this severe I'd have to delete every time your conscious and subconscious remembered it. There's only so much I can get rid of before my own life gets in danger.

I've tried to do something similar for someone who asked me to and it failed. I almost died from blood loss and their memory was shattered. Because I couldn't get rid of the memory I was trying to, all of the power deleted random memories throughout their life. They were a completely different person afterward and it's all my fault. Perry was never the same again.

Plus erasing memories isn't a ‘get-out-free’ pass. Erasing it won't help in the long run. It hurts you. The pain isn't at first but it's considerably worse than anything I’d try to erase. It leaves you blank spaces where you don't know what was going on. You start to doubt if all your memories are real or if they're just remnants of a shattered self. It's driven people insane before.

I'm not risking the chance of changing you in order to get rid of a nightmare.”

“It's more than a nightmare.”

“No, it's not. It wasn't real. Your team is still alive. I'm still alive. Your mother… I'm sure that she's watching over you and protecting you as we speak. You're strong. You're stronger than I could ever hope to be. I know you can pull through this. If you can't do it for yourself then do it for us, for everyone who loves and cares about you.”

“That all sounds familiar.”

“That's because it's what you taught me. You showed me that this life is worth living. I don't mind returning the favor.”

Roman leaned over the side of the couch and found what he had been looking for. Ruby had set her stuff down on its side but had not put everything away yet. He grabbed her storybook and turned back to her.

While he opened to find the first of many stories Ruby asked, “Why do you have that?”

“Because I know how much these stories mean to you. So if you wanted me to I thought I could read a few of them aloud for you.” He said with a reassuring smile.

“Yeah… That would be nice.” She said with a small smile of her own.

The day progressed on rather smoothly. They passed time with stories and games of every kind. Every once and awhile he would remind her of his feelings for her and that she still had loving friends and family. He would not ask anything of her and made sure to be patient and slow. He did not expect her to jump back immediately. He knew that there was only so much she could take. Even the most strong-willed of people have dark times. Ruby just needed some time to heal. If he could speed up the healing process, even by a little, then he would do whatever it took to get her to smile. Her few smiles were the crowning points of his day.

He blamed himself. It was because of her relationship with him that all this happened. If he had never allowed her to get so close then this disaster never would have occurred. But he knew that there was nothing he could do to change the past. All he could hope for was to amend the future.

He ordered food for the two of them so that he could stay with her all day. It was at dinner that Ruby said “Thank you for doing all this. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize. It's my fault all this happened to you. If it wasn't for me then you would still be with your team in your dorm room.”

“No it's my fault. I knew that there were risks in accepting who you were. I knew that horrible things could happen if I kept on loving you. But I continued on anyway. I'm just paying the price.”

“You of all people didn't deserve this. None of this should've happened, everything that led to this situation, and you didn't deserve any of the pain you've felt. I wanted to leave my life behind and join yours but we're stuck with the exact opposite. I'm so sorry that you're the one taking the heat meant for me. I hate to see you suffer and I promise we're going to get everything back and you'll be a huntress again. In the meantime, I'll do whatever it takes to help you.”

“I know. That's why I'm thankful for what you've done today. You've gone out of your way just for the hope of getting a smile out of me.”

“It's the least I could do. I'm not very skilled with these situations so I just decided to do what I thought would be best. You mean too much to me to not do anything.”

“Thank you and I'm sorry. That's why I'm apologizing for making you worry. I had just become so overworked about everything that I was stupid and reckless. I want to promise you that I won't try anything like that ever again, but I don't know if I can. I'm not alright. I'm not safe. I don't think I'll try to end everything but I don't know if I can be the same again. I just don't think it's possible.”

“I understand. There's nothing wrong with feeling the way you are. Just know that I'm here for you no matter what. If you ever need anything or want to talk about anything no matter how insignificant, tell me. As long as you promise to not give up then I won't either. Does that work for you?”

“Yes.”

The rest of the evening Roman spent watching Ruby play games on one of his computers. He had an entire room dedicated to running security sweeps, to scanning the media for potential leaks, to organizing the finances of his syndicate. He had a spare that he was not using and within five minutes Ruby had found a way to download games and started playing. Whatever game it was it revolved around the four kingdoms at war and they were fighting to take control of Remnant. Yet strange enough it was a card game.

Ruby made it two player so he could play as well. It was simple enough and he soon caught the hang of it. This left his mind to wander onto different things, specifically the woman right beside him. He saw more than just her. He saw her soul. It was more than just the bright and happy girl most knew her as. He saw her white side whose smile always made his day. He saw her black side that was filled with all her hidden pain. But yet neither existed without the other. These two sides combined to form the most perfect shade of silver that matched her eyes. It made her look even more beautiful. Together they made her, all of her. The real Ruby. The real Ruby that he would love and treasure forever.

That night he laid there in bed thinking. He felt tired enough to go to sleep and he had no doubt that he could, but he wanted some time to think to himself. He had been more scared today than he had been in a long time. He gently brushed his hand up and down Ruby’s back to remind him that she was safe and with him. The contact made her yawn once before she snuggled in closer. It brought a smile to his face. Everything about her made him happy. That she trusted him, loved him and was right there next to him. Even if they were completely surrounded by threats both external and internal they still had each other.

Although he had lived here for the past few years only tonight did he really feel like he was home. He thought about when was the last time he felt that way. No time in his life came in mind. He read somewhere that home was where one belongs and is surrounded by people who love them. With a realization as to what that meant he gave Ruby a small squeeze. He now knew that there was no place he would rather be.

And he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to support, protect, and care for Ruby so that she would feel as safe and secure as he was in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N 1: While writing angst and drama is fun I want you all to know that some topics I don't touch lightly. I don't do this just for myself. I know that my writing can impact people and teach them lessons. So I want to do my part. I dedicate this chapter to all readers who need it. To all of those whose inner darkness seemingly snuffed out the light in the world. To all of those who felt like there was no reason to exist in this world anymore. Because I know what that feels like. I have stared into the abyss before and have been fortunate to have friends and family pull me right out. I know many are not as lucky as I am so while I have not gone through so much that others have, I at least know what it feels like. I was stopped in the early stages before it went too far.
> 
> To those of you that this applies to: you are so brave. You are some of the bravest people I know. This world we live in is cruel and inhumane but yet you stick through it. Even though you don't see a light at the end of the tunnel you keep on walking. But I promise you that the light is there. It really is there. It took me about a year to find it. My sibling after four years and counting can see it and is trying their best to reach it. It's really there
> 
> I know it's cliché but it's the truth. It may take a while for it to be true and the path may be covered with thorns. Thorns that leave nothing but scars and regret. But I promise you, I promise you, life really does get better.
> 
> Thank you for your time.
> 
> A/N 2: I'll be as brief as I can with this. Schoolwork is at the busiest time this year so I need to focus on that instead of this for the time being. That's why I haven't updated in a month and don't know when I will again. But I'm still working on this, just at a much slower pace so don't forget me now. I would've just kept the author’s note above and not this had it not been so long since I last updated. I hope you all have a good day and remember that somebody out there cares about you. See you next time.


	38. It's Hard to Survive...

Ruby woke up feeling as groggy as usual. She never opened her eyes but outstretched her arm to pull herself closer to Roman. Her arm hit empty air and bed sheets. She kept on feeling around to find him but he was gone.

With a groan and a yawn, Ruby reluctantly opened her eyes. She was alone on the bed. She rubbed her eyes a few times and lifted her head slightly to read the alarm clock. Seeing that it was a little after two in the morning she groaned again and let her head fall back onto the pillow. This was much too early for her to be up but the same thing went for Roman. She picked her head up again and scanned the room. The bathroom door did not have light coming from underneath it. The curtains to the balcony were open and revealed nobody there. That was when Ruby heard voices coming from the main room. She reluctantly got out of bed and crept to the door. She opened it a crack and could see Roman pacing back and forth while whispering on his scroll.

“Hey Junior are you awake?” Roman asked. He seemed stressed and antsy from his voice to his constant pacing.

If Ruby strained her ears she could hear whoever Roman was talking to. _“What do you think dumbass?”_ The voice said.

“Well, usually your closing your club right about now so I thought I'd give you a call. I hope you don't mind.”

_“It's nothing big. The last customers just left so I was closing up the club. I take it you want to talk to me about something? After all, you did call me.”_

“Yeah about that… Look I just need you to… How do I put this…”

_“Get yourself a drink and relax. I'm not going to bite your head off. That's your job.”_

Roman wiped what looked like a cold sweat off his face. “Look I-I-I can't.”

_“Why not? You love drinking.”_

“I quit drinking.”

_“WHAT?! HOW AM I GOING TO STAY IN BUSINESS?!”_

“Shush, please. I promised someone that I would quit drinking and I'm not breaking it.”

_“Damnit Neo! I never thought that she'd actually get you to stop-”_

“That's because she didn't.”

_“Then who the hell-”_

“It's a long story.”

_“I'm getting the vibe that you've been doing something idiotic. Am I correct?”_

“Very.”

_“Care to elaborate?”_

“Nope. Moving on, I need you to stop by my place tomorrow. There's someone I need you to watch-”

_“Aw hell no! There's no way I'm playing babysitter for whoever the hell you've kidnapped!”_

“Please stay quiet. I didn't kidnap them and they're sleeping right now. Besides, when have I ever kidnapped anybody?”

_“Well…”_

“Don't answer that question. But I'm serious here, I need your help. I'm worried about her.”

_“A ‘her’? This keeps on getting better and better-”_

“Can you please listen to me?!” Roman yelled louder than he intended. He plopped down into a chair and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a heavy, reluctant sigh. “I'm sorry. I've been a little on edge recently. I've been awfully worried about her.”

_“So I take it that this deals with someone close to you?”_

“Very close.”

_“Do I know this person?”_

“Cinder probably asked for her file once, so maybe?”

_“Why am I getting the feeling that whatever relationship you're in, it's dangerous?”_

“You have no idea.”

_“If it's so dangerous then end it. You're not one to take too many unnecessary risks.”_

“I can't end it. I'm in love with her and she's told me that she feels the same way about me.”

She could hear this “Junior” breathe a heavy sigh and say, _“Damn. Never expected you to find someone.”_

“Hey!”

_“I don't mean anything against you with that comment. You just seem like you're the kind of person who would purposely stay single. After all, you've told me how you normally destroy your feelings before they develop, right?”_

“Normally yes but I decided to give this one a shot. Boy did I not know what I was missing. I love everything about her. From her-”

_“I don't need the mushy details. You're gonna make me puke with too much of that. So you want me to come over to your place to watch over this new lover of yours because of reasons you still haven't told me?”_

“Pretty much.”

_“Will I regret this decision?”_

“Quite possibly.”

_“What do I get out of this?”_

“I'm asking you to do this as a friend. But if you need me to sweeten the deal I can. How about I spike it instead? You can have access to all my liquor.”

_“Deal. I'll be over there tomorrow morning. I'll see you then Roman.”_

“I'll talk to you later Junior.” With that Roman hung up and stood up from the chair. Ruby saw that he was walking back towards the bedroom and scurried back to bed. She did not know whether or not he would be angry at her overhearing his conversation and decided not to take the chance.

Pulling up the covers again she assumed the exact position she was in when she woke up. Only a few seconds afterward, the door swung open and she heard him creep inside. He went back to bed carefully as to not disturb her. She felt his arms wrap around her as he held her close. He kissed her head lightly before whispering, “I'm sorry Ruby. I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep my life from interfering with yours. I'm sorry that I failed to protect you.”

Ruby clenched her eyes shut to stop herself from crying out. She wanted to open her mouth and scream out to him that it was not his fault, that he did nothing wrong. Looking back on what she did she knew that was the stupidest moment of her life. In doing the dumbest thing she had ever done, she hurt the one she loved. Now adding to the feeling of dread for the safety of their future was guilt for making Roman suffer. Why did things have to be so complicated?

* * *

Roman started off the day about as well as he could. After an early morning shower, he had rejoined Ruby in bed until she woke up. She acted as groggy as ever which never ceased to make him smile. There was something about her being tired that he found incredibly cute. He tried to get her up but he let her stay. He felt as if he had lost the right to do anything with her. He was thankful that she was there and loved her with all his heart but that did little to ease the feeling of guilt he held in his chest.

He knew that he could have left Ruby alone. She appeared alright most of the time but he did not want to take chances. He would rather have her angry at him for getting a babysitter than to come back and find her hurt, or worse.

No matter how much he wanted to stay he had to go. Not for too long but for probably half the day. They were having leftover takeout for breakfast because there was no longer any fresh food in the entire apartment. He needed to restock his pantry desperately and he thought that he could get something special for Ruby to make up for the time he was going to be gone.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the ring of the doorbell. He breathed a worried sigh and got up to answer the door. “Hello Junior. Thanks for coming over.” Roman said gesturing for his guest to come in.

Junior just stood there with a quizzical expression. He slowly stepped inside with his gaze never leaving Roman. “Uh… Can you explain the getup?”

Roman looked down only to be reminded that he was wearing Cobalt’s clothes. “I wear disguises all the time. This is just a new one.” Roman shrugged.

“I was referring more towards the facial area. Your hair is short and what accident did you get in? Unless if that's makeup.”

It dawned on Roman that the last time the two men had seen each other was the night that he found out about Perry's death. Roman had been wearing a wig and that was before he took the hit for Ruby. “It's not makeup.”

“Then how did you get that? It looks like it really hurt.”

“Well it doesn't hurt that much when you're unconscious but that's beside the-”

“Roman where do you keep the shampoo we… just ran out… uh…”

Roman turned around to see a furiously blushing Ruby peaking out from behind the bedroom door wearing only a towel. Roman’s only response was slowly bringing his hands to his face while he breathed a heavy sigh. Dragging his hands back down he decided to just roll with it.

“This is not how I had planned it but alright. Red this is Junior. Junior this is Red. Red the shampoo is under the sink in the back. Junior stop gawking at my girlfriend.”

“I was not gawking!”

“Sure you weren't.”

“Can you explain this? When you told me that you were with someone I thought, I don't know, maybe they were your age?” Junior said putting his hands on his hips and glaring accusingly.

Roman sighed again and said, “At this point I’m not even going to bother refuting it. I love her and she loves me and that's all that matters.”

“Please tell me you haven't slept with her?”

“Beside her yes but no we haven't had sex. I'm not planning on that.”

“For how long?”

“Probably never but I'm fine with it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… Well that's not too bad then.”

“What caused this swift turnaround?”

“I know you’re not a fan of one night stands but I didn't know what your ‘intentions’ would be if you found someone you have feelings for. Now can you give me the truth about why you wanted me here?”

“Look I know that I could leave her on her own and she would be just fine but it would really settle my stomach if someone I know was here to watch over her. I consider you as one of my best friends so I couldn't think of anyone else for the job.”

“Alright. But why not Neo? You've known her for even longer than I have and you two are often inseparable.”

“We… We decided to go down different paths. We’re still friends but things are pretty tense between the two of us.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Later.”

* * *

Ruby could feel the heat on her cheeks and it was not coming from the hot water pouring down it. This man he referred to as “Junior” was here to watch over her because Roman did not trust her enough to be left alone. She felt a little hurt but she could not blame him for this. She drove him to these measures. She lightly pressed her head up against the tile wall of the shower. She was not as much frustrated at him but more at herself. Breathing a sigh of resignation she lathered the shampoo into her hair. There was nothing she could do right now so she might as well go along with it.

When she was finally dried off and clothed she walked out to meet this Junior. He seemed like a burly man and was much taller than Roman. In fact, he looked a little familiar. “Wait a minute, you're that guy my sister beat up.”

“Wait you're Blondie’s sister? She still owes me money for trashing my club!” Junior said while grabbing Ruby’s wrist in anger.

Everything happened in a flash. For half a second she was no longer in Roman’s apartment but she was in Beacon. It was not Junior standing before her but Cardin with a sick and menacing smile. The flashback disappeared just as quickly as it arrived but her reflexes still activated. Before he could move another muscle Ruby was behind him and pressed his arm against his back. “Nobody gets near me. Got that?”

“Crystal clear. Ugh, you sure take after your sister.” Junior grunted.

Ruby felt a hand be placed on her shoulder. She turned to see Roman who gave a weak smile and said “He didn't mean anything by it. I assure you he won't do anything like that again.” Roman grabbed Junior’s collar and pulled their faces together. “Isn't that right Junior?” He growled.

Ruby could see Roman’s inner wolf arise with his threatening glare. She had to admit that he could be scary when he wanted to. Even though Junior looked fairly larger than Roman he quickly backed off. “Good. Now I don't want to hear anything bad from Ruby. If so I give her permission to do whatever she wants to you.”

With that Roman turned and went out through the elevator. He mentioned that he would be back in a few hours with groceries and something special for her. 

Once the elevator doors closed Junior breathed out a sigh. He walked over towards the kitchen and poured himself a drink. While doing so he said, “Look, I'm sorry. My temper flared there and I didn't think through what I was doing. I understand how it might have seemed but I assure you I would never do anything like that to you or anyone else.”

That still did not ease her. She could tell that he was telling the truth but she was still shaken up from the flashback. She knew that it was all an illusion but she still saw it and it still scared her. She knew that Roman had to go because she too was tired of takeout but she wished for him to be right next to her right now. There was something about him being near her that made everything feel like it was going to be okay.

But instead she was left alone with someone she never knew to watch over her. They had sounded close but Roman’s reaction to Junior’s temper made something in her doubt that. She most certainly had the time to kill. She sat down on the couch farthest from him and asked, “So how do you know each other?”

He took a swig of whatever liquor he was drinking and sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of where Ruby was sitting. “Roman and I go way back. Are you sure you want to hear it? It can be a bit of a sob story.”

“I've found recently that life is far from what it's like in fairytales. Sure, tell me.”

“Alright then. Let's see it was about twelve years ago when we first met. I walked in on Neo and him trying to rob my folk’s place.”

“Then how'd you become friends?”

“Alright let me rephrase this. I _ran_ into them because I was running for my life at the time. My old man was chasing me with a broken ale bottle and I was running so he wouldn't stab me with it.”

“But how could your own dad do that? Dad’s are supposed to be loving and sweet.”

“I don't know what kind of old man you have but he sure as hell beats mine. This is going to sound cold but it's the truth. Just because you're someone’s family doesn't mean that they love you, or you have to love them. 

My father never loved me. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a vacuum cleaner that was sucking up his liquor money. I was a hindrance, not a person. I don't know what my mother ever saw in that man. But I have to give her credit she was one tough woman. She would never back down when he went on one of his drunken rampages. She would always be there to take whatever beating he had intended for me. If she would ever get pushed down she'd stand right back up. Then one day she didn't. I had to bury her in the backyard while my father was fucking some prostitute in their bed.

I hated him. I even made plans to kill him. None of them ever worked though. He would take whatever I gave him and dish it out on me tenfold. In fact I wonder sometimes how I even survived some of those. Then one night that I thought that the blood alcohol poisoning was finally going to get him, he broke his bottle and attacked me with it.

That's when I stumbled upon Roman and Neo. They were small little kids but they sure knew how to fight. When my father turned to fight them instead of me, they put him down in two seconds flat. You'd think that I would be somewhat upset, right? Wrong. I started laughing. I don't think that before that point I had ever laughed as hard. My old man who I had been trying to kill for months was put down by two little kids.

We ended up talking it out and I let them stay at my house. It was a good shelter while it lasted. Someone arsoned it a few years afterwards and we had to move to the streets. But by then we were best friends. I know it's crazy to think this but back then Roman was the same height as Neo.”

Ruby snickered a little at the end of that. He did not seem too bad. But that did not mean that she put her guard down. “What’s your relationship with Roman like?”

He put his hand up to stop her. “Hold it there. I just told you a deep secret now you have to tell me something about Roman. Not your kissy faces or whatever because that’ll make me puke. I want to know embarrassing stories, stuff I can use to blackmail him to get small favors. He’s messed with me enough times I want to return the favor.” He said with a playful smile.

“I don't know. I don't want him to get angry at me.”

“If you don't feel comfortable about it then so be it. I'll be right here if you change your mind. I'm here for as long as the liquor is flowing.”

“Uh… have you ever been sober?”

“Define ‘sober’.”

“Like having no alcohol in you at all?”

“Well… Honestly I can't really remember. But I've got an iron liver so it takes a lot to get me drunk. But sober? Man it must've been years.”

“That's not really comforting…”

His face softened as if he suddenly realized how strange the situation was. With a much more relaxed and apologetic tone, he said, “Sorry. Whatever else will make you comfortable I'll do. I feel bad for overreacting earlier and Roman’s reaction scared me. It takes a lot to scare me. You must be very special to him.”

“I'm glad. I love him.”

“That’s what he said. I stopped him from getting into the mushy details but he said that he loved you. I'll have you know that is a first. I’ve never heard of him saying that he loved anybody before. You must've made quite an impression on him.”

“Yeah, I've been working on that for a while. I felt like there were parts of him that he was afraid to express so I've been working with him to be more open. Little did I know that I would fall for that inner him.”

“Uh… Red?”

“Yeah? By the way my name is actually Ruby. Red is just a nickname he calls me to get back at me starting to call him Ginger Snaps.”

She covered her mouth as soon as she said that but the sound of her gasp was overshadowed by the sound of Junior’s laughter. He started laughing so hard that after a while he turned silent and his face turned blood red. She became genuinely concerned when he actually fell out of his chair.

“Are you alright?!”

“Oh my God… That might be the crowning point of my year. I'll have to see what ‘Ginger Snaps’ has to say in defense. Alright just that alone was worth coming over. Ginger Snaps, my god.”

“I didn't mean to let that slip. I'm sorry.”

“It's fine. You've earned whatever you want to know about Roman from just that. Ask away.”

“Oh… um… Has he ever told you about what happened when he was really little that scarred-”

“You mean Ruth? Yeah I know about her. That was a few years before I met Roman.”

“Alright. How was Roman when he was a kid?”

“You sound like he's grown up when in reality he hasn't. He's always joking around and you know, being Roman. But ever since he started working for Cinder he's hardly ever been in a good mood. I'm glad that he's found someone. He deserves to be happy.”

“What did he go through?”

“Roman, Neo and I have been through hell and back. Roman has that natural drive for being a leader so whenever someone of our group would die he'd take it personally. He was always in constant mourning. After a while he just started separating himself from everyone else. Only the people who knew him before could ever get close to him. He just gradually started to not care. I think it's the only thing that's kept him alive.”

Ruby's mind drifted back to the scars that Roman had shown her on his wrist. “Yeah I think it is.”

“He wasn’t always the jackass he is today. He tried to hide it but we all know that it's nothing more than a coping mechanism. I assume you already knew that though.”

“It was the reason I wanted to help him. Nobody else saw it but I could tell that it was just an act. I know what it's like to be hurting and having to put on a mask so I didn't want anyone else to go through the same.”

“And then you got pulled into his life I take it?”

“Pretty much.”

“You clearly know how to handle yourself. Plus you look awfully young, almost uncomfortably so. If I'm not being too invasive I'd like to know how you two met?”

“Well… How much has Roman told you about me?”

“Hardly anything.”

“How much of what he's been doing recently are you aware of?”

“I know he had to go undercover for something but what for and where I have no idea. He should consider that a compliment. I'm an information broker as well as his friend and yet I wasn't able to find anything.”

Ruby barely breathed out “Beacon.”

Junior did a double take and his eyes grew wide. “So you're a hunt-”

“Yes.”

“And you do realize he's Rom-”

“Yes.”

“Aren't you two supposed to kill each oth-”

“Yes.”

“And you still have feelings for him? Even knowing what he's done?”

“Yes I do. Even knowing who he is and what he's done I still love him. There's good in him, a lot of it. I've been helping him release it. Things are pretty rough right now, not between us but between our lives, so that's why he wanted you to come over. He's afraid that I might do something that I'd regret. I haven't been thinking clearly lately.”

Junior took a moment to let that sink in. “Damn. I knew that relationships were complicated but I have never even heard of anything that quite matches this. How do you expect to resolve it?”

“Well Roman left Cinder because she ordered my death. Since then-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold the phone. Roman quit working for Cinder?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Is he an idiot?”

“Quite likely.”

“Doesn't he realize what Cinder will do to him?”

“What do you mean?”

“As you might have been able to tell Roman did not work for Cinder because he wanted to. Cinder had given him several offers to join her ranks but no matter how much money she was willing to give he never accepted it. So one night in revenge she burned down half his syndicate. And I mean literally burning down. Half of the syndicate was killed in one night all around the world. Roman had spent his entire life building that up but he lost half of it in one night.

But that's not quite the end of it. Roman being the rebel that he is decided that after a while he had enough and he was done. He came to me a few hours later almost dead. All of the skin on his forearms was completely burned off and he was bleeding out. He hasn't attempted to leave since.”

Ruby just then grasped the severity of the situation. “Wow. I never knew he would put so much on the line for me.”

“Ruby… I'm kind of neutral in this fight between your careers. I sometimes will accept contracts from Cinder but at the same time, you'd be surprised to know how many hunters need an information broker. But from what you've told me you're trying to get him to switch to your side?”

“I haven't been forcing him to. If he wanted to remain a criminal I would've grown to accept it eventually. But if he was going to continue being a thief then I was going to have him at least be himself and not his mask. Over time he's rubbed off on me and I've rubbed off on him. He's switching sides not just to be with me but because he wants to.”

He took a minute to process that before saying, “Just promise me to keep him safe. Whatever path he goes down to find happiness I'll support. But I still want him to live a long and fulfilling life. In the twelve years I've known him I've never heard him mention loving anyone or anything. What makes you so special to him I've yet to figure out but don't take his affection for granted. I swear with how he's acting it's like I never knew the guy.”

Ruby felt a glow of warmth spread throughout her chest. Even if he was one of Roman’s friends and not her own she finally found someone who accepted their relationship. It gave her a spark of hope that she could get her friends to do so too.

“Hey, Junior?”

“Yeah?”

“You seem like you've been through some rough times. What do you do if something happened to you that even though it's over, it's still hurting you and controlling you.”

“Well, one of the common misconceptions when dealing with traumatic events is the idea of ‘getting over it’. Eventually if one wishes for their past to stop haunting them then they need to make peace with themselves. Achieving that can take varying amounts of time or never at all. Everyone encounters these situations differently and there is no go-to answer. What I've always done to help me was meditation.”

“Meditation?”

“Yeah, it can help a lot but it isn't the fastest method of treatment.”

“Can you teach me anyway?”

“Sure, anything you want is equivalent to me learning about ‘Ginger Snaps’.”

So for the majority of their time spent together they practiced and practiced. It was exceptionally difficult to manage and often Ruby found herself getting frustrated and needing a break. During these Ruby learned a lot about the inner workings of the underworld as well as how Roman’s syndicate worked. Eventually after much frustration, Ruby was able to successfully achieve a meditative state.

* * *

Shortly after, or at least that was how it seemed, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes and looking up she saw Roman standing right beside her. “Having fun there?” He smirked.

“When did you get here?” She asked rubbing her eyes and looking around her. Groceries were on the counter of the kitchen and Junior was preparing to leave.

“A few minutes ago. So how was this morning?”

“Alright I guess. How long was I like this?”

Junior responded, “A good half hour at least. While it took some time for you to concentrate enough once you did you were immersed in it. Well done and remember to do this for about twenty minutes per day and you should start seeing the benefits soon enough.”

Junior looked over at Roman and said, “Oh and Roman…” 

“Yes?”

“You got yourself a keeper. Don't screw this one up. She's good for you.”

Junior brought his attention to Ruby to say, “Ruby if you ever want to drag this one out of here I got karaoke booths in my club. I can reserve one for a date night for you two.”

She laughed when she saw Roman’s eyes bulge and say, “You know I think it's probably time for you to leave.”

“Whatever you say _Ginger Snaps_.” Junior chimed before he walked out the door.

When the door closed and the two were alone again Ruby looked back at Roman to see him having face palmed himself. “Ruby of all things you had to tell him why that? Why that of all things?”

“It kind of slipped out but come on, I know you find it just as cute as I do.”

“You know what? I got something special for you while I was out and now I'll keep it to myself.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Hey! Give it to me!”

“You don't even know what it is.”

“Yeah but you've got me curious now!” Ruby said jumping onto Roman’s back.

“That’s not going to help.”

“I don't care anymore. Just tell me what it is.”

“Nope.”

“Argh.”

Ruby then began a test of stubbornness between Roman and her. She would cling to his back until he finally told her what it was. Roman on the other hand, was completely unfazed by her clinging onto his back. He even proceeded to make them sandwiches for lunch. When he saw that she was not getting off of him to eat he took a sandwich and held it over his shoulder.

He was good at this game. He fed her over his shoulder like it was nothing. He never complained or tried to shake her off. He even made sure to sit down more upright than usual to not let her be squished when he rested on the couch. 

“Ruby your determination is impressive. Do you have any plans of letting go?”

“Not really.”

“Alright then. I'll tell you what your gift is but under two conditions.”

“Yay! What are they?”

“First of all is that I need to set it up. Second is that I want you to stay just as determined with this with planning how to escape Cinder’s clutches. I know things seem a bit bleak but there has to be a way hidden in the information. It's impossible that she could've prepared for everything but I'm going to need your determination. Can you promise me this?”

Ruby was taken aback by his sudden seriousness but she put on a confident face and rested it on his shoulder so he could see it. She said in the most confident voice she had ever said “I promise that we'll find a way. If it means that I can be with you forever then I'm sure we can find a way.”

She turned his head to the side to look her in the eyes. He closed the few inches between their mouths for a single loving kiss before he withdrew and said, “Just keep that in mind while you spend the next several hours watching TV.”

Ruby gasped and she could not withhold her excitement. She started bouncing which shook both Roman and her until he finally had enough and laid down on her on the couch to get her to stop.

“Meanie.”

“Hey I gave in but you wouldn't let go. You deserved it. Besides, I'm more of a stirred over shaken kind of guy.”

“Ha ha. But I thought you hated TV?”

“I do.”

“But then-”

“You mean a hell of a lot more to me than some stupid grudge. Besides, if it will give you some comfort then I'll gladly provide it no matter what it is.”

Roman got up and withdrew a thin black piece of metal from his jacket that was about a foot long, an inch wide and two inches tall. He set it down on the coffee table and pressed a few buttons before he joined Ruby on the couch.

He pulled out another object this time and Ruby could tell that it was a remote. He held it out before her and she asked, “May I?”

“I thought you could do the honors.”

Ruby grabbed the remote with haste and pressed the power button expecting her face to be bombarded by holographic images. But there was nothing. No lights, no sounds, everything was just like how it was a few seconds before. While Ruby started button mashing Roman got up and muttered, “What the hell?”

“What's wrong?”

“It's not working.”

“Really? I never would've guessed.”

He turned back at her with an unamused face. Their eyes locked and for a moment there Ruby was afraid that he was angry at her. But she could see the edges of his mouth slowly creep upwards. He was trying his hardest to stifle a laugh but was failing. “It's official. You've spent too much time with me.”

“Yeah you're probably right. After all, you're a bad influence.”

“And someone like you is a bad influence for a criminal.”

“You can't possibly think that you could argue that I'm worse than you right?”

“I can try.”

“Good luck.”

“I have all the luck in the world.”

“If you had all the luck in the world then you'd be able to beat Cinder by now.”

“That may be so but I've got something better.”

“Which is?”

“You.”

“Oh that's cheesy and you know it.”

“Maybe.”

Ruby looked back at the malfunctioning TV. “Where'd you get it anyway?”

“I may have stolen it.”

“Roman!”

“I said I may have. I never said I did. “

“Roman Torchwick did you steal a TV?”

He hesitated for a moment before he bluntly said, “Yes.”

Ruby put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “Really? I thought you were better than this.”

“I can't help it, it's in my nature. These hands are attracted to everything.”

“Surely not everything.”

“Everything,” Roman said with a smirk.

It dawned on Ruby what the suggestive, underlying tone of that meant. She looked away and blushed intensely.

“You're too innocent.”

“Humph.”

“You know what they say, it's the thought that counts.”

“It still wasn't yours.”

“It was in a super chain store. I sincerely doubt that it will be missed.”

Ruby groaned as she began pacing the room back and forth. She was not really too angry at him. She was just ticked. He had warned her before that stealing was in his nature even if he converted to her side. She tried to look at the positives of this situation. At least if he was going to steal something then it was just a TV and not a shipment of dust or the assassination of another ruler. Plus he did it for her. She did not like the idea of him committing crime for her but considering his area of expertise, she could not expect much more from him. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of a grumbling and increasingly frustrated Roman. “Why are you having so much trouble there?” Ruby asked.

“Because being the genius that I am, I neglected to pick up the manual that came along with this.”

“Really? The great Roman Torchwick who robbed enough dust to affect Vale’s economy, forgot to read the manual?”

“We all have our dumb moments, don't judge me.”

“Well I think I'm going to read up on more about Cinder from your records. You alright with that?”

“Why would I not be? I need a fresh set of eyes to look over that information, especially from such a capable strategist as yourself. My records storage should be the computer the farthest to the left.”

Ruby left the room with him grumbling something about “I created a homemade dust detonator, I should be able to fix a freaking TV.” She entered the computer room again and this time took a minute to appreciate the technology there. She felt like she had just walked into Atlas’s military command with how many flashing lights and sounds were around her. Being a crime lord clearly had its perks.

Ruby went to the computer farthest to the left and began opening up the files. The pure vastness of information that popped up surprised her but with some searching, she was able to narrow it down. 

She skimmed over the file names and found little insight from what was available. Since Roman had not come in yet to say he was done, she figured that she could keep reading over other records. She stumbled upon some video logs and opened the first one she saw.

Before her stood Roman with his classic attire. He looked a little younger but it was clear from his voice that he was in pain, physically and mentally. When he spoke it was hard and certain, contrasting his shattered appearance.

_“Look… Even I have no way to sugarcoat this. If you're still alive to watch this then you're lucky. We… We lost a lot of good people today. I am accepting full responsibility for their deaths and will not put it against you if you want to leave. We fought to keep our independence and lost. I am going to be having a meeting with the remaining leaders over the terms of surrender. While we may work under the orders of Cinder now, make no mistake. This is not the end. It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow but we will fight again. And we will win. For now, I ask you all to suspend any and all operations until further notice. I'm sorry.”_

“I still am.”

Ruby jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. She spun around to see Roman glaring down at her. His face was in a vicious snarl. She shrunk in her seat and looked away. “I'm sorry if I saw something I shouldn't have. It was just on here and I thought that everything could help-”

She was stopped by the feeling of his hand gently touch her shoulder. She looked up just in time for him to kiss her forehead. “I'm not mad. It just brought up some bad memories, that's all.”

She stared at him as he walked over towards what looked like an inventing table to the side. “Do you want to talk about it?’

“Everything's placed before you. You can find it yourself. I'd prefer to let buried memories stay buried if you don't mind.”

Ruby opened her mouth to say something but promptly shut it. She heard how his voice quivered at the end of his sentence. He needed some time alone. “If you ever need to talk I'm here.”

He turned his head back to give her a small smile. “I know Red. The same goes for you.”

With that, he was off into his own world again. Ruby kept reading up on the records of money reports to blueprints of successful and failed heists. She felt like she learned more from these few hours than all of her time in criminal psychology classes. 

The two of them cooked dinner together and helped each other with chores around the apartment. They talked and Ruby told him how she felt about making him worry and that she did not need anyone to watch over her anymore. She was appreciative of his concern but he could now spend his time and energy on something else.

That something else being the TV. It was almost comical with the amount of time and effort he put into it. Now that it was getting late Ruby just wanted him to give up on it. When she was ready for bed she walked back into the computer room and saw him still slaving away on it. She groaned, “Roman come to bed already.”

“I will as soon as I get this blasted contraption to work.”

“If it was going to work then I think it would've already. Besides, why are you so hung up on this?”

“I got this as a gift for you and the fact that I can't get it to work is downright irritating. If I'm going to be able to fall asleep then I need to get this done.”

Ruby sighed and said, “Alright fine. Put your arms up.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

“I don't understand the point-”

Ruby interrupted him by jumping on his lap. She laid herself against his chest and unbuttoned his suit. Snuggling into his chest, she wrapped the suit around her like a blanket and closed her eyes. 

“What is this?”

“I have trouble sleeping if you're not there with me. Since I can't get you to come to bed, then I'll have to sleep here with you.”

“Ruby this really isn't the best place to-”

She ignored him afterwards. Whether her plan worked or not was not a concern. Yes, Roman was not a bed but he could lull her to sleep just by himself. Having his suit as a blanket surrounded her with his natural scent of cinnamon, something that she could never seem to get enough of. Her head was resting against his chest and allowed her to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Once she blocked out Roman’s soft rejections it was not long until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Roman growled lightly to himself. He wanted to go to sleep but the fact that his pride was still hurt kept him going. Then, of course, Ruby had to fall asleep on him. After about half an hour he could not take it anymore. Ruby’s breathing when she was asleep could be described as a soft, barely audible snore that was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. He kept on getting distracted by bringing his attention away from the machine to her and after a while he gave up. She was right, the two of them needed to go to bed. He picked her up carefully as to not disturb her and brought her into the bedroom. 

He laid her down and then left to change. When he came back he wanted to spend some time on his terrace to think but Ruby seemed to be restless so he soon joined her. Once he did, she gravitated towards him to cuddle in a way that made it almost seem like she was still conscious. Yet the slowness of her breathing said otherwise, which made him have trouble keeping a straight face at how cute it was.

He returned her embrace and began thinking about the day. Frustration was present in everything he did although he was not new to this. He was frustrated because he had not trusted Ruby enough to be on her own, that bad memories were brought back and that the stupid TV would not work. He wanted to do something nice for Ruby and it all fell apart. But knowing the end result it would be worth it. Who knows, maybe if he finally got it to work then it would save their lives?

But the most important thing that he thought of that day was how pointless his worrying was. He had come to the realization that no matter how much he worried about her that would not change anything. Ruby had said that she was safe and he would trust her on that. But just because she was safe did not guarantee that she was happy. So he vowed that he would still do everything in his power to make her happy and secure that they would live long enough to have a future.


	39. ...But Harder to Live

Ruby knew when she woke up that today was going to be rough. Even waking up next to Roman, which would normally bring out an immediate smile failed to do so. Staying so optimistic was hard for her now. She knew that after going through what she did that she would not be perfectly healed in a few days but it was still so strange. To be able to be upset was something so new to her. While it hurt she was thankful that she was able to express it. She had been feeling like she was trapped for a long time. After so long of having to be afraid of losing those close to her and to be herself she almost lost herself. She had let herself become so vulnerable that she felt like she was hanging by a thread. But there was no changing the past. What was done is done and she had to keep moving onward. At least she had Roman to confide in.

Roman… It still surprised her sometimes who of all people she fell for. His name no longer made her think of crime and injustice. What his name meant to her was a corrected soul, warm cuddles and soft kisses. He never wanted all this to happen. He did everything in his power to protect her. He put his life on the line time and time again so that she could stay out of whatever trouble he was in. When she was hurt though, he would do everything he could to get a smile on her face. He was being so kind and gentle. He did not ask anything of her. He never tried to use her for personal satisfaction. All he wanted was for her to be happy. This made the task of loving him as easy as breathing air.

Ruby walking out of the shower could hear Roman cursing over the TV. She understood that he wanted to do something nice but sometimes one just has to call it quits. She walked into the main room in her bathrobe, only to find Roman still hunched over the defunct holographic television. “Roman I really do appreciate you wanting to give me something but you don't need to go through all this effort. You seem to be obsessed with this.”

“My motivation lies both in my desire to see you happy and my hurt pride. You'd be surprised how powerful each of those are.”

“It just seems like-”

“Eureka!” He shouted as it finally came to life. She had to cover her eyes to give them time to adjust to the sudden influx of light. Before her stood a ninety-six inch holographic screen that was playing Vale’s local news department. Before Ruby could say another word Roman yelled, “Hahaha! Yes! Part one is complete.”

“Part one?”

“Yes Ruby, part one.”

“So there's more?”

“Yes but it's a surprise. Give me a little bit to get everything ready.”

With that, he ran off to the room which held all of their computers. She could not help but laugh. He had a spring in his step that made her feel as if she was the older one. Turning her attention to her now working gift she decided to sit and watch some morning news. The first story that came up made her happy.

_Student at Beacon arrested for attempted robbery, assault, and impersonation of a student: Mercury Black was caught trying to assault the members of team RWBY. He has been apprehended and after a background check, it was discovered that he was never a student in the first place._

After that the stories got progressively worse and worse.

_Emerald Sustrai found dead: Mrs. Sustrai who was reported missing as of the evening after the arrest of Mercury Black was found dead inside the local police station. The cause of death is a stab wound through the heart. The videotapes were erased so the only evidence left is the vacant cell of Ms. Ruby Rose, who was arrested for the murder of Cardin Winchester the night before, and a blood sample that’s been identified as Cobalt Cyan._

_Several Students revealed as frauds: In light of the recent attacks, there have been background checks on every student of possible interest. It has been revealed that along with Mercury Black, every member of his team, as well as Cobalt Cyan, were not in fact students. With the exception of Mr. Black who remains in custody and Mrs. Sustrai who was found dead, all of the other fraudulent students have gone missing. Anyone who can provide information towards their whereabouts are asked to contact the authorities immediately._

_Mercury Black missing: The police vehicle that was in charge of transporting Mr. Black had gone missing as of twelve hours ago. The vehicle has been found in the last few hours after it was crashed into the side of a business. The two policemen in charge of watching over Mr. Black were found dead at the scene and there is no sign of Mr. Black anywhere. Currently waiting for more information to be released._

_Ozpin supporting a cover-up?: Students released information during interviews that reveal that Headmaster Ozpin had both bribed and threatened them into keeping secret about another case of assault. According to these students Cobalt Cyan, whose whereabouts are still unknown, took an almost fatal hit from Cardin Winchester in order to save another student: Ruby Rose. What does this say about the respectability of Headmaster Ozpin? Does this provide any answers towards the reasoning behind Mr. Winchester’s murder as well as to why Mr. Cyan’s blood was found at the scene of Ms. Rose’s alleged escape? Only time will tell._

_Video leaks have revealed to the world a shocking video: According to the citizens of Mistral, they were bombarded by a message from infamous terrorist Roman Torchwick informing them of the murder of their beloved king and the king’s alleged associations towards organizations intent on discriminating against faunus. With such a high faunus concentration inside Mistral, there have been no limits to the amount of outrage with people on both sides turning violent. The human aristocracy claim that all of Torchwick’s accusations are false while the heavy population of lower class faunus are calling Torchwick’s message one of “liberation” and “revolution”. In related news, there has been a large spike in White Fang activity in Mistral. Their leader Adam Taurus has been seen on the outskirts of the kingdom-_

“Ruby I’m back and I’ve got it all… ready to… go?”

Ruby in the midst of the reports had retracted her legs and now her face was hidden by her knees. To her surprise, she did not feel like she would cry. She only felt cold and distant. The sense of hopelessness had returned and everything felt out of her control. She felt herself closing off the outside world. She did not notice the hologram disappearing and the silence that the room was thrust into.

She became so encased in her bubble that the sensation of contact made her gasp. She peeked up enough to see that Roman had sat down next to her and enveloped her in his arms. 

She could do little more than mutter, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I make you worry about me.”

“That’s kind of my job.” 

“It shouldn’t be.”

“I think it should be. I’m not here looking solely to prolong our relationship. I’m not here because I expected you to just take whatever came your way. I’m here because my goal is for you to be happy. I want to see you smile every day and enjoy life to the fullest.  Whatever that takes I’ll do. I’m not expecting you to jump back immediately. I'll wait however long I need to. I’ve grown awfully fond of you if you haven’t noticed.”

“I’m still making you have to go do all of this. I’m just becoming a bother.”

“You’re in no way a bother. It doesn’t matter whether you’re having the best or worst day ever. People will love you nonetheless. Your family, friends and I will always love you no matter what mood or condition you’re in. Nothing you say or do could make us stop.”

She knew that he was right. She had already known that herself but sometimes it was just nice to hear another say it. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. Can I have a quick kiss?”

“Sure.”

Ruby brought her head upwards to connect her lips with his for a light yet lingering kiss. Roman with his classic grin said “You know if you ever want a kiss you never have to ask. I'm always happy to oblige.”

That got a smile out of Ruby. “Note taken.”

“So do you-”

He said that she never had to ask so she was going to take him up on that offer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. Pulling away she was able for a brief second to see his face of surprise. It was so unlike him that she could not help but laugh.

He chuckled, “Let's try that again. Do you want to know what part two was?”

“Sure.”

“I never expected you to drop everything. I never wanted you to be put into danger because of me. While right now you are safe your mental state is not. I know I mean a lot to you but there is no way I could ever replace your friends and family. That’s why I wanted to get the TV to work so badly. I was able to integrate a video calling mechanism that calls directly from the TV. Since it’s a TV that was never registered in a store it is off the charts for any business that made it. With the VPS I added, this means that it’s untraceable. You can call your friends at anytime you want without endangering either of us.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. Here's a scroll I got custom made. It should be able to hide any signs of phone numbers or IP addresses. It's even got heavy encryption. You can call them at any time.”

She gave him a small squeeze of the hug and said, “Thank you.”

“It was no trouble at all.” He handed the scroll to her and then got up. He called over his shoulder while he left the room to say, “I'll go to give you some privacy. Besides, it's you they want to see.”

Ruby stared down at the scroll in her hands that held the button to call her team. She wanted to talk to them more than anything but how would she? How could she? She practically dropped everything to run off with Roman. Of course, there was a lot more to it but they probably saw it as that. 

Knowing that her greatest ideas come to her on the fly she clicked call and hoped that she would be able to come up with something. The scroll’s screen appeared on the large TV and she felt like she vibrated with every ring. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. When she opened them she saw the call be answered.

The camera was faced towards the ceiling and she could see her red curtains so it must be placed on the nightstand. “Did you answer that?” Ruby heard a muffled Weiss ask.

“No I didn't. How the hell?” Yang said as she slowly came into view.

“Hey,” Ruby said with a smile and a small wave.

“RUBY!” Yang screamed. Ruby laughed as the camera was thrust every which way while Yang had to defend herself from both Weiss and Blake trying to get their hands on the scroll. When things started clearing up and the screaming became understandable again Ruby was able to see all of them. It made her smile to see how they were willing to scrunch their faces together to get the closest view of her as they could.

“Hello. How's it going?”

Yang yelled, “NEVERMIND ABOUT US ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”

“Everyone calm down. I'm fine, safe, and doing well.”

Yang rambled, “It's just it all happened so quick. Everything spiraled out of control so fast that it's taken us some time to realize what's happened.”

“I know. Words cannot describe how sorry I am to have left like that. I was just trying to do my best with the time I had. But you have no idea how good it is to see you all again. Even if it's through a screen.”

Weiss took the screen and asked, “Can we get a full explanation of what happened? This is still a lot to take adjust to these circumstances.”

“Sure, ask away.”

“Can you explain your taste in men?” Blake snidely remarked.

Ruby looked away from the camera and scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, it's a long story.”

Yang brought up her hands and said bluntly, “You know what? You can explain this at a later time.”

“But Yang she's dating Roman Torchwick of all-” Blake objected.

Yang interrupted saying “Look, I'm ticked off about it as much as you are but now is not the time. I've been worrying my ass off over the safety of my little sister and I'm not going to have a fight with her on the first sign that I see if her being alive. Got it?”

Ruby weekly mumbled, “Please don't fight guys. I've been through a lot lately so-”

“That son of a bitch better not have-” Weiss started.

“Can you all just stop that already? Can't you all trust me on my decision? He's a good person. Maybe not a great human being-”

“That's an understatement.” 

“-But he wants to change. He wants to be on our side. People… They just won't let him.”

“Can you give us one example of how he's done any good for anybody?”

“Really? If that's the case then me. He's done me good. He really does love me and he's not lying when he says it to me. He has never once gone after me physically and all he wants is for me to be happy. He has done everything in his power to keep me out of his work, not to mention saving my life several times. He's now put everything that he's built up over the years on the line to get out of his job.”

“But, what about what he's gotten you into?” Yang asked warily.

“He's done everything in his power to keep me out of his line of work but sometimes that's not enough.”

“What evidence do you have that the risks have been worth everything?” Blake questioned.

“What evidence? He's helped me realize who I am. I'm no longer afraid of letting someone get too close to me. I don't feel like I'm playing some part and I'm finally free. Roman has seen the best and worst of me and treats me no different. I did the same for him and he's returned the favor. He's lived his entire life where life never gave him anything to live for and turned him into the thief he was. But with me, I'm able to bring out his good side, the part of him that he had tucked away to hide the pain. He's so gentle, kind, and caring once you get to know him. He wants me to succeed at all my goals and tries everything he can to see that happen. That's why I love him.”

“But-”

Yang interrupted saying, “Blake, Ruby has said her peace so can you please respect her decision at least for this one conversation. I don't like it any more than you do but I'm more interested in the fact that my little sister is alive! Thank you!”

They hung their heads.

Trying to shrug the tension away, Yang said, “Sorry about all of that. If it's not too much to ask, why did you choose this? Why go into hiding?”

“Well, being with Roman comes with its risks. His boss found out about our relationship and in an effort to hold onto him, they tried to kill me but only after torturing me. They made it so I had to see horrors I never dreamed possible. They wanted to torture me into suicide while I was being held in that jail cell so that it looked like there was no foul play. They fed me the illusion that Cardin was going to… Yeah…

Thank you for standing up for me back there. I know that I didn't ask you to fight the police but the fact that you stood up for me means a lot. You gave up your opportunity to fight in the Vytal festival to back me up. Thank you.

As to the reason I didn't go to Ozpin, it's because I can't really trust him anymore. He couldn't do anything to help me or stop those bad people from trying to hurt me. Not to mention that in a private discussion he mentioned that the only thing that could keep me from the chair was to plead insanity. Both sides want me dead so I had no other choice. Roman's stuck in the same boat too.”

“So… When can you come back?”

“I don't know. Now that Roman's got this scroll-calling-thingy to work and be untraceable I can still message and call you all. But to actually be there in person is too risky. I'm working with Roman on a way to defeat his boss who has been the one ordering him to do the attacks. If we can capture her and turn her in then maybe it would be enough to pardon both of us.”

“Is there any way we can help?”

“That flash drive that Roman gave to you all should contain a lot of White Fang plans. We could really use your help in weakening her forces. Right now it's overwhelming and almost impossible to touch her.”

“We'll do the best we can,” Blake said.

Yang hesitantly asked, “How am I supposed to explain this to Dad and Uncle Qrow? They heard what happened and are coming to Beacon to investigate. What am I supposed to tell them?”

She had to think long and hard on that. “I know you all don't like Roman and I think they’d probably react worse if they knew about that. So just tell them that I'm safe, happy, and should see them soon.”

“And how quick will soon be?”

Ruby paused. “I don't know… But that's enough about me. What are things like at Beacon?”

“Well, everyone's pretty shaken up over what has happened with Cardin and Emerald as well as the disappearances of Mercury, ‘Cobalt’, and you. Tensions are high and people are saying really bad things about you. All of us as well as team JNPR have gotten in trouble for beating those people up.”

“She did not need to know that but yes, we have,” Blake admitted.

Ruby muttered, “I don't want you all getting in trouble because of me.”

Yang rebutted with, “We're not going to let them badmouth our leader-” 

Ruby interrupted with an edge of instability in her voice. “You don't get it do you? Enough tragedy has happened already because of me that I don't need to be causing any more suffering.” She said as she felt herself starting to slip.

“Ruby you aren't making us suffer-”

“Yes I am. You're all in pain because I'm away and a wanted woman. I've seen more pain in the past week than I ever have. I've had to deal with illusions that were meant to drive me to suicide as well as the possibility of having my future be thrown out the window. Guess what? IT WORKED! I almost ended my own life because of how bleak things were. Roman was able to pull me back but please don't make me worry about you getting in trouble because of me. I don't know how much more I can stand.”

Ruby brought her hands to cover her face when she began to cry. She felt so ashamed that she could have done this. Enough has happened already and knowing that her friends were punished for her actions was too much to take. It was not long before she felt herself be hoisted up and onto someone's lap. She brought her hands down and through her blurry tears she could barely make Roman giving a comforting smile. He brought her into his embrace and she buried her face into his shoulder. “I thought you said you were going to give us some privacy?” She was barely able to get out.

He gently started stroking her hair while he whispered in her ear. “I was until I heard you cry. I know how upsetting everything can be but what always made my day when it was hitting the fan was a hug from you. I thought I'd return the favor.”

“Thank you. I'm sorry for being like this.”

“It's alright. Just remember that I'll love you and I'm there for you till the end of time. If you can't find your smile then come to me. I'll make one for you.”

Ruby had not forgotten that she never hung up the call. She knew that her friends were likely giving some dirty looks at Roman, especially with him dressing in his iconic fashion again. The last thing they wanted for her was to have her being in his arms but that is exactly what she needed most right now. She heard Yang clear her throat before she asked, “Do you still want to talk Ruby or do you want some time alone?”

Ruby was able to turn and face her sister to respond. “Alone, please. I don't want you to see me like this.”

“Alright then. Just remember we're here for you. You can call us anytime before or after classes. We'll talk to you later.”

With that, the call was ended and Ruby let loose a sob into Roman's shoulder. Ruby felt her inner defenses crumble as held onto Roman for dear life. She did not know how long she was there like that but Roman never complained. They just sat there together while she let it out. When Ruby felt herself calming down she pulled back to look into his face. He gave a reassuring smile and wiped away her tears. “It's never wrong to be upset or to need someone to help you.”

“I know,” she croaked. 

“Let's do something fun, alright? Whatever you want I'll do.”

Ruby even while sniffling was able to give an evil smile and say, “Alright. You said whatever I want right?”

“Dear God, I'm going to regret this aren't I?”

“Yup. Come on, let's have some fun.”

* * *

“That's the last time I give the offer of ‘anything’ to cheer you up.”

“Oh come on you know you liked it.”

“What the hell about this is there to like?!” Roman yelled gesturing at his face. Ruby could not help but laugh at it. The two of them were sitting on chairs that they pulled into the bathroom. She was going through her makeup and wanted to use him as a test dummy. 

“Well, you wear mascara.”

“That's different!”

“How?”

“It just is alright!”

Ruby pinched his cheek while he sat there grumpily. “See you look super cute.”

“I look ridiculous. You’re lucky I like you or else you’d be dead by now.”

“Of course. Because never mind the fact that we’re both wanted by the world, our different careers, and that I’m living with you. Only when I put makeup on you against your will would you kill me.”

That earned her a frustrated glare. He sighed and said “We sure have got it unique. Of all the stories I've heard of, I've never heard of something quite like our situation. I’m honestly surprised we’ve made it this far.”

“Actually I think I have heard of a story kind of like ours.”

“Really? What’s it called?

“It was in the back of my storybook. I read it when you had taken that hit for me. I think it was called ‘Two Sides-”

She was interrupted by the sound of a ringtone. It sounded like the music that played when an ice cream truck was driving on by. She turned towards Roman to see him holding the bridge of his nose while he breathed deep breaths. He pulled out his scroll and looked at it in annoyance. “Why would she ever call me? She’s mute for crying out loud.”

He suddenly turned pale white that was visible through all of the makeup. He instantly answered it and Ruby saw that it was a video message. For some reason, it was just a pair of hands moving but Roman started whispering something. He got up with a start and ran out of the room. Ruby followed him but when she entered the living room he was already at the kitchen counter scrambling down something on a sheet of paper.

Ruby walked over and read what he was writing. His handwriting was a little sloppy considering his eyes never left the screen. The paper read, _“Discard of your scroll when this message is done. The Black Queen Virus is in it and can track information from it. In fact, it's doing so as I speak. But knowing our little code they should have their heads spinning trying to figure this out._

_Anyway just so you know I've wiped your files they had of you. All your tracks are clear. Other than the fact that they know of you, according to the computers you don't exist. As long as you don't do anything stupid they shouldn't find you._

_Also, I did some background checks and a lot of your syndicate is more loyal than you thought. I know you asked me to check up on this a while ago but I would say about 3/4ths of them are loyal. At least that's up from last time of 1/4th. But I don't know who is and who isn't._

_Also, sorry that they were able to trace your blood back to “Cobalt”. They must've had other samples from when Cardin almost killed you that I didn't know about. If I had known then I would've taken care of it but your “Cobalt” is now compromised. Don't go in public as him again._

_One last thing before I go: I'm sorry. I wish you the best of luck Roman. Whatever path brings you happiness I'll respect. I just hope you respect my choice as well.”_

With that, the message ended and Roman sighed and hung his head. He turned around and walked away muttering, “I need to take a shower.”

“What's wrong? She did what you asked and made it harder for them to find us. She gave us valuable information. I don't understand what's the matter.”

He stopped by the doorway. He looked her direction but did not raise his eyes from looking at the floor. “No… You don't understand…”

“Then help me understand.”

“That's her way of saying goodbye… She's gone… She chose her path and she's sticking with Cinder.”

“Oh…”

He remained standing there frozen. Ruby could see that his breathing grew ragged and he was grinding his teeth. Just when Ruby took a step forward he swung around and punched the wall. “Damn it! I've known her since I was eight! I saved her life and taught her how to communicate after her voice was taken away! We've always been there for each other and saved each other! We're practically family! Yet knowing all that she's siding with Cinder! Why?!”

Ruby ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was tense and she could hear his heartbeat running wild. But within a few seconds of the contact, it all started to ease away. His muscles relaxed and his heartbeat slowed. He took a deep breath and returned the embrace. What an amazing feeling it was; to be able to have such an effect on him. To know that she was able to ease away the anger of a man that in the past resulted in so much catastrophe with a simple hug. She knew that only she alone could ever have this effect on him.

“Well, you had me. Spending so much time with me changed you but she never changed with you. Your lives are different now and she's probably upset that you've betrayed Cinder. Especially over someone like me. I’m sorry that I’ve messed up so much stuff in your life.”

“No Ruby trust me I prefer this situation we’re in now compared to if we never met. Yes, everything would be better for my career but I never would’ve learned anything. I never would've learned that I became the kind of tyrant that I wanted to fight. I never would’ve learned to love and show compassion. I never would’ve learned to actually live and not just survive.”

“Are you going to be alright though? I know that you and Neo were really close friends and fights between friends are never fun.”

“I'll be alright. Just let me take a shower to clear my head. I'll be fine in a little bit.”

“Oh, Roman?”

“Yes?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and made him look at her in the eyes. She lightly ran her hand down the side of his cheek as pulled him in for a kiss. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss and brought their foreheads together. “Don't be too hard on yourself. It was her choice to make and you're not responsible.”

“I know. I just feel a little betrayed that's all.”

“I'm sorry you lost a friend but I think she'll come around eventually. Just like you, she just needs good influence. If anyone can do it you can.”

“Yeah, you're right. Thanks. I'll see what I can do about that.” He said with a reassuring smile.

He left to go take that shower of his and left her standing there. She sat down on the couch and began to think. This was another reminder that she was not the only one hurting with how their lives have been afflicted. She had been so involved in her own troubles that she nearly forgot that he was betraying so many people to be with her. He had to deal with that and her being on the edge of breaking at the same time. She wondered how he was doing so well. She remembered back when she had to go through the process of fixing his shattered self. Now here he was with losing his best friend and he looked far from having the kind of meltdowns he used too. Yet she was now the fragile one. She felt like she was getting stronger every day but she still had some time ahead. It might be a while but she knew that if Roman was able to get better surely she could as well.


	40. Aura

Things were really starting to look up. With Neo’s message Roman was able to calm down some on how much they had to hide. Ruby for the first time in about a week was able to get out of Roman’s apartment. The first thing the two of them did was stop by some clothing stores and buy new outfits that would work as disguises. A few wigs and a lot of makeup later the two were stocked for weeks. 

Date nights became a regular thing. Roman mentioned that he felt guilty for not taking her on enough dates while they were still students but he could not figure out a way to do so while keeping their relationship hidden. She had told him to not worry about it and that she understood. Technically they shared every meal together but something about going out brought new excitement than if he just cooked her a meal at home.

Home. It was so strange to her that she already considered his apartment a home. Sure there were good and bad memories but it would not feel real without a balance between the two. She still had the home of her family back in Patch and the home of her friends at Beacon, but now she had the home of the one she loves too. She felt safe and secure from the outside world while she was there. It had an atmosphere that made her feel warm and cuddly, but most importantly, loved.

One of the few things that she did not like though was Roman’s business trips. If they were going to have any shot of taking down Cinder and the White Fang then they needed to reunify Roman’s syndicate. That meant that he had to meet other leaders and make sure that they were allied with him. He would never be gone for more than four hours but they seemed like the longest four hours of her life every time. He would not allow her to go with him either which frustrated her to no end. He claimed that it was for her own safety but she was more worried about his than her own. There was always that one in four chance that they were allied with Cinder and could try to hurt him. She wanted to be there with him but understood his thinking. The people he would be dealing with would be heavy level criminals and she would be out of her league trying to negotiate with them. They could also use her against him as leverage.

She was still frustrated about it but he would always try to make it up to her. Little surprises here and there. Little things from bath soaps to baking cookies to weapon parts and everything in between. She started to get used to it after a little while. After all, every time he left he would always promise that he would come back and she trusted him enough to keep that promise.

So it was not an unusual idea for Roman to come back from these trips through the private elevator but today's timing was unusual. Roman had left early that morning and Ruby was sitting on the couch enjoying a chat with her team when the elevator started up and got her attention. He had only been out for an hour and he had never been back that early. 

“So Sun asked me out on a date today. Nothing big.” Blake said in her calm demeanor.

Yang looked to her partner in shock. When Blake rose an eyebrow in confusion Yang asked, “Well, did you accept?!” 

“Yeah, I did. I thought it could be fun.”

“Aww, I'm proud of you.” Yang chimed as she gave Blake a hug.

“So Yang, are you finally going to let us know who you’re seeing?” Asked Weiss.

“I would… But there's no way you'd like it so I can't.”

“Oh, come on. If Ruby could be interested in Torchwick then surely whoever you've found can be that bad.”

“Fine, but how we got together is the craziest story you could possibly imagine. Her name is N-”, she paused for a moment, “Ruby are you even listening?”

“Yeah I was but can you wait a minute. Roman's back.”

“Oh boy. You know what, it's almost time for breakfast anyway so we'll talk to you later today, alright?”

“Okay, see you all later.”

Just when the call ended Ruby turned to see the elevator doors open. Roman was there but something was off. He was panting and looked pale. He was leaning on the side of the elevator for support and had a cold sweat covering him. Ruby got up and slowly crept towards him. “Roman? Are you alright?”

When he looked up Ruby could see the sense of relief in his eyes but it was pained. He smiled for a moment and said “See Ruby. A promise is a promise. I told you I'd come back.”

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out and fell to the floor.

Ruby sped forward and was barely able to catch him in time. Her heart was racing, her breathing rapid. She grabbed his back while trying to lift him up and immediately felt something wet. Bring her hand up she froze when she saw it covered in red. Submerged fears back from when Cardin almost killed him arose and she felt herself break. She could not lose him. He almost left once he could not do it again. She had to fix this.

She let him down gently and ripped off his suit and undershirt. Then she saw the bullet hole in his right shoulder. It did not have an exit wound. 

With a loud gasp Roman shot his head upwards. “Hey Ruby? How are you doing this morning?” He said in a way that made it seem like he was in a dream state. 

“YOU’VE BEEN SHOT!”

“Oh that? Yeah that might put a damper in my day.”

“Oh God… What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?”

He blinked rapidly and shook his head to wake himself up some more. “Right. I know what to do. Can you help me up?”

Ruby wrapped his arm around her head and helped him up. He put his weight on her as he guided her towards the island in the kitchen. With every step he winced which made her feel like someone knocked the air out of her lungs. Once they got to the island Roman pulled himself up onto it and rested on his stomach. He took a few deep breaths and said “Alright I'm going to have to walk you through this.”

“Th-th-through what?” She stuttered. 

“We're going to have to remove the bullet by hand or else the muscle won't recover. I'd be useless without the use of my right arm. Besides, I can still lose a little more blood before I could die-”

“WHAT?!”

“You've played Operation before as a kid, right?”

“Yeah, but-”

“Well it's a lot like that but with higher stakes.”

“That's completely diff-”

“Listen it's a simple procedure-”

“CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME?!” Ruby screamed. She did not mean to but the world felt like it was falling apart. Here Roman was faced with the possibility of dying, again, and treating it like it was nothing, again. She tried to say something but all her words got caught in her throat. Tears swelled in her eyes blurring her vision and she felt dizzy from her hyperventilating. All she could think about was how she was about to lose him when she needed him most. His touch brought her back to reality. 

She looked down to see him holding her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and said “I'm not dying today. I've come too far to just be offed now. I will survive this but I need your help. Can I count on you?”

“Of-of cou-course.”

“Good. Now there should be a medical kit underneath the sink. I need you to pull that out and get some supplies out of it.”

Ruby did what he asked but started asking questions. “Why can't we get a doctor for this? If we hurry I can get you to a hospital.”

“Think about what you just said for a moment. How beneficial would it be for the two of us, who are wanted for murder, to arrive at a government hospital? Also, the only underground doctor that I personally know that is still alive is the one who shot me in the first place.”

Ruby looked back over at him and felt like she was going to throw up. He looked so pale. The feeling of deja vu from him lying in the hospital bed was so overwhelming that it made her dizzy. 

“Do you have any anesthesia?”

“I have ibuprofen.”

“You're planning on doing this awake? Won't it hurt?”

“Someone has to guide you. I would've already taken care of this myself if it wasn't for the fact that I can't reach it.”

“This isn't some little cut that I can put a band-aid on and kiss it until it feels better! There's a bullet inside of you and you expect me to be able to pull it out of you without having you bleed to death! I can't do this!”

“I trust you with my life. I believe in you. I promise you that I'm going to be fine but I'm going to need you to be brave. Bring out that determined side of you that stares at the face of danger and doesn't turn away. You've kept a level head facing insurmountable odds before you can do it again.”

“But I'm going to put you through so much pain.”

“It's nothing that I don't deserve. Just keep in mind that while I may scream, shout or cry that this is helping me, alright?”

“Alright… I love you.”

“I love you too. Are you ready? First comes sanitation, next is incision, then removal and finally sealing it back up. Not to hard right? It'll be over and done with before you know it.”

Thus began one of the worst hours of her life with every second being a living hell. She followed his orders and did her job diligently. But every action that she did to him she felt too. Every cut she made felt like she had done it to her own skin. Every drop of blood felt like it bled from her own body. Every cry of pain felt like it left her own throat. The only thing that kept her going was Roman’s words of encouragement. “It didn't hurt that much.” “You're doing a great job.” “You can do it, I believe in you.”

Ruby was amazed by Roman’s determination. He never looked scared and he walked her through every step. All he had was willpower and his belt to bite down on. He never faltered and even when after describing the wound to him he realized that the bullet broke apart into fragments. If there was one thing that was most apparent that was that his will to survive was a force to be reckoned with.

After what felt like an eternity it was done. It was finally over. She had removed the six shattered pieces of a bullet. Her hands were covered in blood that would not seem to wash away no matter how hard she scrubbed her hands. She looked down at her handiwork. Roman was barely conscious and he had lost a lot of blood. She had tried her best to wipe away and clean it all up but she could not get the wounds to close. No matter what she tried she could not get the bleeding to stop. She started to panic. What if she was not helping? What if she was making it worse? What if she was only killing him off slowly and painfully?

“RUBY!” Roman yelled, bringing her back to reality. “I'm going to be alright. I promise you I'm going to be alright.”

“I can't stop the bleeding. Oh God, it just won't stop. I'm sorry I failed. You trusted me with your life and I failed you. 

“You didn't fail me. You've done your best and that's what all I wanted.”

“BUT MY BEST WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH! Don't you get it?! I-” Ruby froze. She could have sworn she saw something fly off his back. She leaned her head in closer and saw a tiny light fly upwards and dissipate in the air. Next thing she knew these sparks of light were shooting out of the wound like a hundred sparklers burning at once. They were a deep red. Ruby red.

“Ruby whatever you're doing feels amazing. What is it?”

“Aura,” Ruby whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“Your Aura’s back.” Ruby croaked. Ruby felt her cheeks get flushed as the first of many tears began streaming down her face. Yet she did it with a smile. She felt all the pressure on her chest leave and she could breathe again. All of her fears that she amounted over the past hour were swept away bit by bit with every tear of joy. 

Before Roman could say anything she lunged forward and brought him into a loving string of kisses. She did not care if he was still laying there and she had to be leaning to the side to do so but she was going to kiss him one way or another. Happiness, fear, anger, joy, longing, relief, and love all flowed through her as her lips connected with his. Roman had to bring both arms up to pull her away to talk.

He still looked and acted pretty woozy but managed to get out “Wait so my aura’s back? It's sealing the wound?”

“Yes!” Ruby was barely able to get out between cries. She reignited the kiss and kept it going until she felt herself calm down. Once she had control of herself again, she checked his back to see a new scar with a flurry of sparks underneath the skin healing and rebuilding new muscle. “You're going to live.”

“See? What did I tell ya? It's going to take a lot more than a bullet to put me down.”

“I'm just so happy you're going to be alright. Can I get you anything? Anything at all?”

He was starting to drift off. “I'm not bleeding anymore am I?”

“No.”

“In that case, I think I'll try to get some rest. I'm aware I've lost a lot of blood but if I'm still awake now after all of that then I can get some sleep without worrying about not waking up again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah I'll be fine. Do you think you can help me to the couch?”

“Of course.”

She helped him up and put his arm over her shoulder. She could tell that he was wincing even though he tried to hide it. She walked him over to and set him down on the couch. He rested on his stomach and she could still see the bright spot on his back. It was healing but it looked like it was draining his energy to do so. 

She ran and got a washcloth to help clean him off. She came back and sat herself down on the end of the couch so he could rest his head down on her lap like a pillow. Bit by bit she cleaned him up. She wiped off anything left on his back as well as his makeup that he has to use to look like the normal Roman. She made sure to take his wig off too so that she could stroke his actual hair. It was starting to get longer again and had the precursor of the bangs he once had. It was not the Roman that the world knew but she thought it looked cute. 

Ruby just sat there slowly stroking Roman’s hair in silence. Compared to the excitement of the past hour the silence and inactivity brought forth a sense of peace and ease. She felt like she could finally breathe easy again. She could tell by his muscles relaxing and his breathing becoming slow and steady that he drifted off into sleep. She took this time to properly examine his features other than his back. 

His forearms were the first thing she noticed. It just dawned on her that other than his underarm scar she had never seen his arms, let alone his chest before. Both of his arms were horrendously scarred. It looked like all of the skin was burned off by acid or fire and then did not grow back properly. She remembered what Junior said about Cinder burning his arms for trying to betray her once. She never realized that it was so severe.

His back held countless scars that ran from tiny little scratches to what was likely the slashes of a sword. There were also spots that she saw where he had been shot before. She was sure that every scar had its own story and she would want to hear each of them in due time. She could wait. 

Her eyes drifted to the glowing spot of his aura still working on rebuilding the lost muscle. It was a deep ruby red and reminded her of her own shade of aura. She wondered why it had left him for so long but she was not complaining. It returned just in time to save his life and for that she was thankful for. She did not want to think about what she would have done had it not come back. 

Through all the scars both forming and fading she could see inside of him. The hostile world around him may have made him grow a cold outer shell but to her he was still the loving young boy he once was. With her around he could let his guard down and not be afraid. With her, he could be soft, caring and kind. He could be the real Roman whom she had grown to love with all her heart. She could not help it but let a sentence slip between her lips. “I love you.”

The moment was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Whoever it was never bothered with being gentle and was knocking as if their life depended on it. As the knocking got louder Ruby could also hear their guest yelling Roman's name. 

Just as Ruby was able to shake Roman awake the door flew inwards. Quick as a flash Roman pulled out a pistol from under the couch and brought his body back to act as a human shield for Ruby. He winced and sucked in a breath from the sudden movement and he looked like he was feeling a lot of pain. When both of them saw who it was they unanimously breathed a sigh of relief and assumed their original positions.

“Roman!” Junior shouted. “Are you alright?! I just heard what happened and I came rushing over as fast as I could. I brought my own doctor with me. He's not an underground medic but I've bribed him enough he won't cause us trouble.”

Roman just let out a sigh and said “Goddamn it Junior… You're buying me a new door… And it better look freaking fantastic…”

“You've been shot and you're worried about a damn door?!”

“Yes but it's my damn door.”

Ruby chuckled. If he had enough fight in him to make his witty remarks then he was going to be just fine. She did appreciate Junior getting a doctor though. Even if Roman complained the entire time about it she was still relieved that he did accept to having a professional check him out. The doctor was a short and stubby man who had a head full of white hair. He hardly talked at all but did a thorough check up of Roman's back. When he was done he said that it was a close call but he should be fine. The doctor mentioned that Roman should take some antibiotics and drink lots of fluids but everything else was going to be fine. Ruby found that to be a miracle in its own right.

Eventually the doctor left but Junior stayed for the entire day. They mostly sat there in silence but Ruby found it welcoming. Even though he was trying to hide it, Ruby could see how much Roman meant to him. It was really sweet and brought a smile to her face. Junior even brought the two of them food so she would not disturb Roman napping by getting up.

The day went on with Roman going in and out of naps on a frequent basis but between that and his aura draining his energy he was ready and willing to go to bed when night came. Junior left and wished the two of them the best of health so they decided it was time for both of them to go to sleep. 

While Ruby was changing into her pajamas she thought about her view of Junior. Whenever he was not trying too hard, he really was a good friend of Roman's and a nice guy. He ran here with a doctor and burst down the front door, which they had to chain up until it could be fixed the next morning, in an effort to save his friend. Then he stayed the entire day to make sure nothing went wrong. Anyone who would do that is a good person and friend.

Ruby walked out of the bathroom to find Roman wearing his long pajama pants but no shirt. Ruby did not mind him being shirtless, after all he was far from being out of shape, but it was unusual being that he wore long sleeve every night. 

He scratched the back of his head and said “When anything comes into contact with where I'm still healing it feels like it's burning into my skin. I hope you don't mind.”

“I don't mind. If you're worried about my reaction to your scars keep in mind you were napping on me most of the day. I've seen most of them by now.”

“Sorry about that.”

“What's there to be sorry about?”

“Well most of them are pretty gruesome and were given to me by me doing something very wrong.”

“I assumed so. I've come to accept you fully. That means all of your past and everything. Now you need to get your rest. The more sleep you get, the more strength you'll have to work your aura on healing.”

“Speaking of which, can you check to make sure it's working fine? It's been gone since before I got that nasty gash in my face from Cardin and I just want to be sure it's actually doing its job for once.”

“Let me check… Yeah, it's doing just fine. It's a beautiful shade of red.”

“You mean orange, right?”

Ruby took a quick look to confirm what she said. “No it's red.”

He squinted at her to see if there was any trace of her lying.“Throughout my entire life my aura has always been orange.”

“That may be so but when have you ever been like you are now? You're amending your wrongs and are in love with me. I felt like I've helped mend your soul and since aura is the extension of the soul then maybe it changed with you?”

He took a minute to digest what she said. He walked over towards the bathroom to confirm whether or not what she said was true. “I swear my aura has to be… Red.” He said when he finally looked into the mirror. 

Ruby followed him and could not help but smile. His face was priceless. He started to whisper “How in the hell-?” 

Ruby interrupted him by taking ahold of his hand. She looked up at him lovingly and she could see everything finally clicked in his mind. They said no words for the answer was clear. All that was needed was a soft kiss.

When their lips parted Ruby said “I'm going to shut down the place. You go ahead to bed and I'll be right back.”

She left to make sure the entire apartment was shut down. When she came back she saw him already in bed on his side. As soon as she laid down next to him she felt his arms wrap around her and hold her close. She looked up to say “Well aren't you being cuddly tonight?”

He gave a small smile when he said “I can't help it if you've worn off on me.”

“Don't worry, I like it. But Roman?” 

“Yeah?”

“Please promise me you'll never scare me like this again? I don't want you putting yourself in anymore dangerous situations anymore.”

“I hope you realize that being with you is dangerous.”

“That's not all my fault though.”

“Let's agree to disagree.” He said with a soft chuckle.

Ruby could not help but stare into his eyes. Her memory went back to where this all began, with a single up close look into his eyes. Yet as crazy as things have been since she would not have it any other way. She caressed his cheek and brought him in for a light but loving kiss. “I love you.” She said burying her head into his chest.

“I love you too.” He said as he gently began to stroke her hair.

Ruby made sure that when she returned his embrace that she avoided getting anywhere close to any of his still healing injuries. She wanted to be able to hold him as tight as she could but not cause him any pain. He had almost been ripped from her grasp too many times now so she made a vow. She would not allow any harm to come to him, even if it cost her life to do so. It was a scary thought but she knew that it was the truth deep down. Just like how he had been willing to die for her, she was willing to give up her life to save his.

Just before she drifted off to sleep she heard Roman whisper, “You looked like an angel before but I think calling you my guardian angel isn't too far off now.”

That last statement rang through her head. He was right. She had been his savior but she felt like he was hers too. He was safe in her arms and she was safe in his. They had saved each other plenty of times now. While there had been hardship along the way she felt as if she was his salvation, and he was hers in return.


	41. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a LONG chapter pretty much composed of many smaller scenes that I felt wouldn't fit broken up or on their own. So they've all been put together into one large chapter (the largest of this piece) but I made sure there are page breaks between scenes. That way if you need to take a breather you can.

In the next two weeks Ruby made memories she would never forget. Some were good and some were bad but throughout it all she felt like she was mending. She felt as if the tears in her soul were finally healing. 

Most of them involved Roman in one way or another. Lazy morning cuddles, snarky remarks, and even a bit of training when they cleared enough from the living room to work on hand to hand combat.

The first memory she would never forget is when she finally gathered enough courage to ask Roman what exactly was he sacrificing for her. All of her sacrifices were evidently clear but he refrained from telling any of his whenever possible. She knew that he was only doing so to spare her some bad feelings but she would like to know them. So when she asked him straight and upfront she knew that he could not lie to her. 

She tried to keep it casual though by having the conversation while both of them were cleaning up the dishes and kitchen after a meal. As far as answers go she already knew about the possible losses of both his syndicate and Neo but the rest was a surprise. 

“Well I've had to go cold turkey for a while now due to not being able to smoke in school. Besides, I know you disapprove of it so I don't really see any reason to continue smoking.”

“I thought you love to smoke.”

“I do but frankly I don't see to much use in it anymore. I've been forced so close into kicking the habit I might as well just finish it off.”

She gave his hand a small squeeze and said, “Thank you. But I feel like there's still more you're not telling me. What else are you losing because of me?”

“You're making this sound like I've lost some bet or game. You know that I've willingly given each of these up for you right? I've been willing to part with it all.”

“I know but some of it is important to you. I'd at least like to know.”

“Alright. Well even though I was forced into working for Cinder she still paid me. But I have enough money as it is. I've lost a few friends as you know. I also lost my bonus.”

“Your bonus? What was that?”

“Cinder told me that if I stuck with her until the end she would tell me who was the last survivor of the group that killed Ruth.”

Ruby froze let that digest. He was giving up a pursuit of revenge that had been driving him for years because of her. She turned to face away and muttered, “I'm sorry.”

“What's there to be sorry about?”

“I know that was a big thing for you.”

“I'm fine, really I am. I fully knew what I was putting at stake when I turned my back on Cinder. I just wish I would've stopped being such a coward and done it sooner. Then we wouldn't be in this mess.” He said gesturing outwards towards everything.

Ruby giggled and said, “Oh knowing us it probably would've been a mess no matter what we did.”

“You're probably right. But I don't regret giving it up. You're well worth it.”

She could feel the heat of her blush burning away. “Oh stop it,” she said trying to hide it.

“I'm serious. You've been able to help me through so much that I never could've done without you. I'd never have been able to make peace with my past and move on. I was stuck in a rut and you got me out.”

“You give me too much credit.”

“I don't think I give you enough.”

“You really think it was worth it all for this? For our relationship?”

He cupped her cheek and guided her head back to face him. He gave her a soft and gentle kiss and said, “Without a doubt.”

She smiled before she brought her lips into contact with his again to begin a long string of kisses. She felt no need to hold back because at least when they were here in Roman’s apartment there was no outside world. There was nothing that could harm them. The universe consisted of them and only them.

* * *

Ruby also talked with her team almost every day. These memories were more bittersweet. They were always fine until one of them brought up Roman and then they would start fighting. And boy would they fight. Ruby was not proud of some of the things she said and sometimes at the call would end in tears. It became normal for the beginning of a call to involve apologies from both parties. Aside from the fighting they were able to get a lot accomplished. They were able to use the information they got from Roman to cut White Fang operations in Vale by 50% as well as recover three warehouses full of dust. It was such a large impact that it brought an awful lot of recognition to team WBY. They even were on television.

Ruby remembered watching their interviews and was relieved to find that they kept Roman and herself out of it. Each one of them credited their success to an “inside source”. When they finally bring Cinder down, Ruby hoped that they would then be able to credit those victories and help clear their names.

* * *

During one of Ruby's many calls, she was finally able to speak with team JNPR. Yang gave the scroll to Jaune and let him take it to his room so Ruby could explain things without the pressure of her own team watching the conversation. 

They ended up propping up the scroll on their desk so they all could see each other. They all stared at each other, each afraid to speak up.

Eventually Ruby coughed and said, “It's nice to see you all again.”

Ren was the first to snap out of their daze. He sighed and said, “Likewise. I take it that you're safe wherever you are?”

“Yeah, yeah I am. I… I'm sorry if I hurt any of you…” Ruby at that point realized each of their conditions. Jaune had a healing black eye, Pyrrha’s hair looked disheveled, Nora looked calm for once, and Ren had bags under his eyes. Ruby brought her head down unable to meet their gaze. “I brought this didn't I?” She muttered.

Pyrrha tried to soothe her and said, “It's just some… Aftermath that's all. It's not your fault. But it would help some if we could hear your side of the story. We've been defending you and your team from idiots who don't know when to keep their mouths shut-”

“I finally was able to break some legs!” Nora interrupted with excitement.

“That too,” Pyrrha continued. “We heard what happened about Cardin and then Emerald but a lot of the details are up in the air. Would you like to explain it?”

Ruby sighed knowing that going through everything would hurt again but she owed them an explanation. So for the next half hour Ruby explained what she saw during the Cardin incident, her meeting with Ozpin where he suggested the idea of pleading insanity, then Emerald and Neo, then last she talked about her relationship with Roman. When she was done she took a breather after her long story and then looked at all of them for their reactions.

To say they were surprised was an understatement. Jaune was the first to speak up and said, “So all of this happened because of Torchwick? And you're still with him?”

“He tried to prevent this from happening. He wanted to join our side.”

“But you were still seeing him while knowing who he was. While knowing that he was still an enemy?”

“He was a lost soul trying to find his way.”

“He is a criminal who's killed people! Aren't you worried that he'll hurt you or worse?!”

Ruby did not need to say anything because their reactions to her face and body language said it all.

Pyrrha cautiously pushed Jaune back a little bit and said, “You went a little far there.”

Both Jaune and Ruby took a moment to breathe before they spoke again. Jaune said, “I'm sorry, I got a little heated. I didn't mean it.”

Ruby was still seething with rage but was willing to have manners so she said, “I accept your apology. Your answer by the way, is that he's never once made me think that he'd intentionally hurt me. Never once.”

Nora, to everyone's surprise, said in complete seriousness, “I think what you're doing is very brave.”

Ruby felt her anger be immediately replaced by curiosity. “What?”

“You helping him. Being on the streets can twist and turn the best of us into monsters. It was brave and if you're right that he wants to help us now… Then I think you saved him.”

Ren then followed up with, “It was reckless to do what you did, but given the circumstances and outcome, I agree.”

Ruby felt overwhelmed with relief and joy that some of her friends finally accepted her relationship. “That means a lot you two. It really does.”

Pyrrha and Jaune appeared to feel out of the loop and simultaneously asked, “What?”

Nora turned her attention to the two of them. “Have you always had a roof over your head? Have you always had someone there to care for you? Have you ever had to wonder when your next meal will be? Desperation makes you do things you regret. Things I… We still regret.” She said as she held Ren’s hand.

There was a brief moment of heavy silence before Jaune said, “I'm sorry that you had to go through that, I didn't know. I'm also sorry for how I've acted today. My black eye is still healing from that fight with Cardin’s team and the pain has been doing stuff to my head.”

“You had a fight with Cardin’s team?” Ruby asked.

Jaune started counting on his fingers to make sure he remembered everything. “His team, his friends, his older brother I didn't know existed, his father, some random dude the other day that I have no idea why-”

“I'm sorry,” Ruby said both to apologize and interrupt his tangent.

“Don't be, it was all worth it and the fights have stopped. Team CVFY is also spending a lot of time with us and your team now. Both as friends and support.”

“That's good. Oh, I almost forgot. Best of luck at the Vytal tournament.”

Pyrrha shyly looked away and scratched the back of her head. “We're not competing this year.”

“What? Why? You of all people should be competing. You're… Pyrrha!”

“Your team can't compete so we all decided that we wouldn't either. Friends mean a lot more than some competition.”

A little alarm started flashing to show that the scroll only had a few minutes left of power. 

Ruby said, “I guess this is as good of a time to end the call as any. What you said meant a lot to me and it was nice seeing you all again. Thank you!”

They all said goodbye and the call ended. Ruby decided that she would go back to work coming up with a plan to beat Cinder. Just before she did, she thought to herself that she couldn't have hoped for a better outcome to a call with JNPR. She hoped that she would get to talk to them again soon.

* * *

While she remembered all of the sweet moments the most, she did not forsake her duty or forget why she was there. The two of them often spent hours everyday going through old files on Roman’s computers looking for hints and clues. It was much harder than she ever expected. It was like she had to put together a 5,000 piece puzzle without knowing what picture she was supposed to make or what any of the pieces looked like.

Then one day while she was scanning through his video logs she saw a new entry. One that was made yesterday. 

_“This video in particular is not being sent out to anybody. It will only remain on this computer so that you can watch this Ruby. I need to apologize for everything and I'm afraid that if I do so in person I'll break down before I can finish._

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I know you say that you're alright but I can still see the pain lingering in your eyes. I can still see the hurt. It's taken some time but I've learned that I can't make things alright. I can only make them the best I can. And if what's happened is any example then my best just isn't good enough._

_I'm so sorry. Everything you've done for me has been a blessing and you've transformed my life into something meaningful. And what have I done? I've brought you nothing but chaos and pain."_

At this point he was sniffling some and was blinking rapidly to blink away any tears.

_"I'm a despicable human being. I spread nothing but hate and misery. I've lied, cheated, and stole. I've even killed. I've killed so many people. When Cinder had me go to that meeting the night of the Cardin incident I killed a kid. A kid. I didn't mean to. I would've told you earlier but I didn't think you were well enough to handle knowing I did this. But he was just a kid. He was so young and had so much ahead of him and I ENDED IT!"_

When she saw him start to cry she took off her headphones and walked over to where Roman was sitting on the other side of the room. She immediately brought her arms around the chair to hug him from behind.

“You didn't watch all of it?” He muttered softly.

“I don't like seeing you cry. It means you're upset and I just want you to be happy.”

“But there's so much I've done wrong. I don't deserve happiness.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. I know you've done a lot of bad things but don't think about the bad stuff. Think positive. When we beat Cinder and save everybody then we'll be heroes. You can blame these villainous acts on her and we can live together and free. Then you'll look back on these times and think about how silly you're being. Just because there are bad times doesn't mean the good ones aren't worth anything.”

After a minute of silence he said, “What the hell did I do to deserve you?”

She bent her head down to be able to look into his eyes. “You learned to show that you care.”

* * *

On occasion either one of them would have nightmares. If that ever happened the other would wake up and soothe them back to sleep after listening to the ordeal. But tonight was exceptionally bad in that regard.

Ruby jolted awake hyperventilating and covered in a cold sweat. She felt tears start to well up in her eyes while she checked her body to see if it was injured.

Roman woke from how much she was shaking the bed and immediately sat up to check on her. “Ruby are you alright? May I touch you?”

Ruby nodded so he brought her into his embrace and he could practically feel her anxiety ebb away. After a few minutes when she was breathing at a normal rate, he asked, “What happened in this one?”

“Cardin took what he was after. I wasn't able to stop him that time.”

Roman paused for a moment to register that. “Damn. I'm sorry you had to experience that but know that it was just a dream and nothing more.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to go back to sleep?” 

“Not after that, no. Is that okay?”

“It's perfectly fine with me. Since we're not usually up at 3 am there is something we can do to pass the time that we can't do otherwise.”

“What's that?” 

“Follow me and you'll find out.”

Roman knew just how to spike her curiosity. He led her towards a hatch in the ceiling in the laundry room that set loose a small ladder to climb up it.

When Ruby followed Roman up she surveyed her surroundings. It was just a flat concrete slab with concrete walls about three feet high surrounding the area. There was not much else to it. While there was a little wind it was a warm breeze that felt soothing. Since it was so late, Vale had the least amount of lights on at any time of day and it looked surprisingly dark. “Roman, why did you bring me up here? What does this have to do with anything?”

She could see the faint outline of his smirk as he laid out a thick blanket he had grabbed along the way and gestured for her to lie down and join him. When she did his only response was pointing upwards. She looked up and she gasped. 

It was breathtaking. Every star in the sky could be seen. All of Vale’s light pollution was gone and she could see every individual star twinkling in its own light. She could see the stripe of their galaxy, Andromeda, stretch across the sky. If she looked closely she could even see the faint blur of the remnants of the Milky Way in the distance.

She turned to look at him only to see him already looking at her. Underneath the starlight she could see the young boy in him smiling back at her. “Why aren't you looking at the stars? They're so beautiful.”

“Because none of them can outshine you.”

“Okay, that was cheesy.”

“Doesn't make it any less true.”

She blushed and returned her gaze up to the stars, conscious of her hand joining his. They laid there in mutual silence and acceptance.

Eventually Roman broke the silence after a few minutes and asked, “Does this make things at least a little better?”

“You got a smile out of me so yes.”

“Excellent.”

Another comfortable silence ensued long enough that Ruby felt herself finally able to calm down enough to drift off. Just before she did though she heard Roman whisper, “You know this world isn't quite so bad? When I was a boy I always used to see the stars and wish I lived on some other world, free from pain and suffering.” He chuckled. “I was so stupid.”

“What? No you aren't.”

“I was stupid because I didn't know how everything worked. Without having experienced pain, then one can never appreciate peace for what it is. After years of going through what I did I want you to know I'm appreciating the hell out of this peace. Enough that it’s all worth it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm happy. I'm happier than I ever thought possible. I know that I'm opening myself up to possibly feeling more pain but it's worth it. If everything I went through before we met was the price of being able to find someone like you, well, then it was worth it. Money and revenge will never bring me happiness or peace. The only thing that can do that is you. All I need is you and my world is complete.”

She looked over at him to see him still staring up at the stars with a huge smile stretched across his face. It was one of those smiles that one only sees a few times in their life. One that could show an appreciation of life and all the happiness life can bring. It was the face of one who had cried a few too many times but was now free from the shackles that bound them, to be free from the burdens of man's suffering to live life to the fullest. One that would prove to Ruby that she could love him even more than she thought possible. 

She affectionately curled up next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Just as she did she saw a shooting star fall. “Make a wish,” she yawned while closing her eyes.

“I wish for you to be happy everyday of your life.”

Just before she fell asleep she muttered, “With you I will be.”

\-------------

Ruby woke up thinking of all these memories with a warm smile. The sun was shining and gave the bedroom an aura of warmth. Snuggling up to Roman she knew that this perfect day was going to start off with a perfect lazy morning. 

Ruby felt him stir a little and she could tell by the way his arms wrapped around her that he was awake. “Good morning Ginger Snaps. Did you sleep well?” She asked kissing the base of his neck.

“With you by my side I did,” he whispered groggily.

“Today's gonna be perfect.”

“Why's that?”

“It's my birthday.”

He went stiff. Had her head not been nestled in his neck she assumed that she would have seen his eyes bulge. When he spoke again he was very much awake. “Uh… Why wasn't I told this before? I could've planned so much for it.” He paused for a moment and sat up much to Ruby’s dismay. “Oh boy I need to start making preparations.” 

“Roman you don't have to do this.” She groaned while trying to pull him back down.

“Nonsense. It's your birthday and there is no way that I'm just going to let this slide like it's just some random day of the week. There's so much to do and so little time.”

He jumped out of bed and left Ruby laying there bewildered. This was not the reaction she was expecting. She admitted to herself that she probably should have told him when her birthday was but she did not want to make too big of a deal out of it. Now here Roman was making a big deal out of it. Just when she sat up Roman opened the sliding doors just enough to poke his head in and say, “Oh by the away no peeking. I want everything to be a surprise.”

Well that got her intrigued. If that was not enough to get her out of bed then the ruckus that was coming from outside the room did the trick. She could hear metal hitting metal as well as Roman speaking with somebody over his scroll. She crept out of bed and slowly walked over to the door to peek out. She was only able to move the door an inch before she heard him yell, “Hey! What did I just say?!”

She slowly closed the door in resignation. He was clearly going to do what he wished for whatever he was doing. She sat down back in bed and waited for him to finish while reminding herself that he was doing this because he cared about her and wanted today to be special. She was not sure how long she had to wait but it was less than half an hour before he became strolling through the door. He carried with him a suspended tray that held what she assumed to be her breakfast.

“I had planned a few special events that I was going to use as treats or for date nights but I think that they will suit just fine for today.”

“What's all this?” She asked looking down at all the food placed before her.

“This is breakfast in bed: Ruby edition. I have for you here three buttermilk pancakes covered with strawberry syrup and whipped cream with a side of hashbrowns as well as a bowl of strawberries. Your drink is the classic whole fat milk. I take it by your face that everything is to your liking?”

Ruby by this point was driven near the point of drooling by pure scent alone. All she could manage was to continue staring at it and mutter, “Yeah…”

“You are aware I made this for you right? You’re allowed to eat it.” He said with a chuckle.

That snapped her out of her trance. She picked up her silverware and took a bite. To describe it as divine was not efficient enough to describe how good it tasted. 

“Based off of your facial expression, I’m glad you like it. Anyways do you want to know what I've come up with for today’s plan? Nothing’s set in stone so if you’re not interested just tell me?”

All Ruby could do was nod and focus on not stuffing her face all at once.

“Well I’ve noticed you’ve been doing better with your team lately so I thought that you might want to spend some time with them.”

“I talk with them over the scroll enough as it is.”

“I’m talking about in person.”

She froze. Be with them in person. While things had cooled down quite a bit she still asked the first question that instinctively came to mind. “B-B-But is it safe enough?”

“Things have cooled down a lot and as long as you wear a disguise I don’t see any reason why you can’t. But they might try to get you to abandon me and rejoin them. It's what I would do if I was in their shoes.”

With no hesitation Ruby replied, “There’s no way I would do that. I didn't come all this way just to leave you in the cold. We’re in this together until the end. If I get pardoned it means nothing if you aren’t too.”

She could tell that by his expression he was touched. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. But I was thinking that maybe you could spend a good portion of the day shopping with them. My treat of course.”

“I'd love to! Thank you!” She said while trying to get up and give him a hug. She forgot that the tray was still suspended tray was above her. She bumped it and spilled a little milk on the tray but was able to stop anything else from spilling. Feeling really embarrassed about her stupid mistake she muttered, “Sorry.”

He chuckled a little before he said, “Don't worry about it. No crying over spilled milk remember? But after your day shopping I thought that you'd be home for dinner. I'll make you anything you want and I already have a few ideas for gifts. After that is a surprise.”

“Alright what is It?”

“There is nothing that could get me to spoil that for you. It's no crown with studded jewels but it's something small and sweet. I can say that much.”

“And you came up with this all in half an hour?”

“It wasn't that hard really, I had the plans all made, I'm just enacting them… Sooner than expected. Now you finish up with your breakfast and I'll work on getting everything prepared, alright?”

He left her to do whatever his preparing was back in the main room while she continued to eat her breakfast. She never wanted too much for her birthday but the way he was doing this was so sweet. He was doing everything in his power to make today special for her and that was something to smile about.

Roman never went too far into the details but he created an itinerary of assorted shops and restaurants that should provide maximum cover to avoid detection. He told her a variety of signs that she should look out for and if she ever thought that someone was following them then to call him immediately. She paid attention to every word because while this was supposed to be fun, one wrong move could be the end of everything. 

With every preparation complete Roman walked with her most of the way to where Ruby was supposed to meet up with her team. Just around the final bend he gave her a quick kiss and wished her to have a great day.

She turned around the street corner and saw them. She tried to withhold her excitement but was barely managing it. When she made it to them they did not recognize her at first. “Hello everybody.”

“Ummm… I don't mean to be rude but… Who are you?” Weiss asked.

She did not blame them for not recognizing her. This is the longest time she was going to spend outside Roman's apartment since she went into hiding. Her disguise had to be exquisite. She decided to stick to a blue theme so she was wearing a lovely blue dress and coat, as well as a long blue haired wig and blue colored contacts. If anyone she did not know asked who she was, then she would tell them her name was Sapphire.

She just smiled at them as they finally put two and two together. Next thing she knew, she was being hugged ferociously by all three of them. “Help… You're… Choking… Me…” She was barely able to breathe out. 

“Ah! My little sister is safe!” Yang yelled.

“Please… Stop…” Ruby said as her face turned as blue as the rest of her clothing. 

They broke up the hug and gave a quick round of apologies. Before any of them could say a word Ruby said, “Listen. I'm really happy to see you all too but I want one thing more than anything today.”

Blake said, “Sure. What do you want?”

Weiss followed up with, “It doesn't matter how much it costs I should be able to cover it.”

“It's not any item you can get me. I want each of you to promise me something.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Well, I know that things haven't been easy since I left so suddenly and I'm really sorry about that, but I'm not coming back today. Things still aren't safe enough for me to go back to being a huntress. Once this afternoon is over I'm going back to Roman. I'm not going to fight over this and I want you all to promise me to respect that.”

Blake rebuddled with, “But don't you see? If we are able to turn him in to the authorities then we can-”

“I don't care. There is nothing that anyone can say or do to get me to turn in Roman.”

Weiss said, “But look at what's happening to your life! He was the cause of all this if we remove him from the equation then-”

Ruby’s eyes turned cold and her voice grew harsh when she growled, “Listen to me. I will _die_ before I allow anything to happen to him. I don't care what any of you have to say about it. Today's my birthday and all I want from each of you is to have fun without involving Roman. I just want to pretend that none of this bad stuff has happened, like how everything used to be. Alright?”

They looked like they wanted to argue a little more but eventually conceded. They promised to refrain from bringing Roman up for the time that they would spend together. They could not fight too much when she brought up that Roman was funding their entire ordeal. 

So they went off to enjoy the festivities. It was Saturday and the Vytal Festival was going to start tomorrow after its two month delay. All students were given the day off so there was no conflicts with Ruby’s team spending the day with her. Ruby had a lot of fun. With nobody bringing up Roman there was very little fighting and everything felt normal again. She knew that the feeling would last only for a few hours but they were a gift in its own right. 

They went to a wide assortment of shops and eateries. Some were Weiss fancy and some were Yang casual. Ruby did not buy too much. It was not because she felt bad about Roman paying for everything, but more along the lines of she had so much that she was thankful for already she did not want too much more. They were at their final store before Ruby would have to leave when she felt a hand lay on her shoulder. She continued to look through the assorted clothes and said, “Yang, I don't care if you want to try on bikinis but please stop coming to me to ask which is sexier.”

“Hey kiddo.”

That voice. It froze her to the bone. She would have recognized it anywhere. It was scratchy and she was just then picking up on the scent of liquor that was coming from the man behind her. She turned slowly around and looked into his red eyes. It was Qrow.

“I'm sorry but have we met before? And please let go of me?” Ruby asked. It was easier to lie to strangers but she was having extreme difficulty keeping a straight face.

“You're in a lot of trouble missy. We need to talk. Now.” He took her hand and pulled her out of the store. She tried to call out to her team for help but they just followed the two of them out of the store.

He pulled her into the alleyway by the store. Part of the way down he stopped and let her go. He blocked one way and looking behind her she could see her team blocking the only other exit. Turning back to face him she could see the anger that he was trying desperately to hold back. “Spill everything. Let me know every detail so that way I can know how the hell you thought that doing all of this was in any way a good idea.”

“I told you I don't know who you are!”

“Cut the crap for me will ya? Ruby this isn't some game you're playing this is the big time. With the big time comes big time jails and big time sentences unless there's big time amends. This isn't just something that you can just say sorry for. Had you just stay put, your father and I would've been able to get you cleared from any possible punishment. We know what the evidence says but we had a few tricks up our sleeves that would've gotten you out scott free.

Now look at the mess we're in. All of us are trying to help you get out of this fine but then you had to run off. Now people are trying to charge you with two cases of murder and escape! So could you please explain to me WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

He finished his rant with a yell that somehow managed to echo throughout the alleyways. Under his gaze Ruby felt herself shrink and could only mutter, “I didn't want to escape.”

“Then why did you?”

“People were trying to kill me so I had no choice.”

“Who was trying to kill you?”

“Emerald.”

“So you killed her?”

“No I didn't. Neo did.”

“Who's Neo?”

“A friend of a friend.” 

“So this ‘friend of a friend’ killed Emerald because she was trying to kill you, because you were jail for killing Cardin, because you saw him try to take advantage of you?”

“Yup.”

“And who was this friend of yours who is also friends with whoever this Neo person is?”

Ruby just remained silent as she could not say his name. It was hard enough to tell her friends but there is no way Qrow could begin to comprehend the circumstances.

He glared at her for a minute but after seeing that she was not going to respond he facepalmed himself and let out a sigh. “Yang, do you by any chance know who this friend of Ruby’s is?”

Without hesitation Yang replied, “Roman Torchwick and they're more than just friends.”

“YANG! What the hell?!” Ruby screamed.

“This keeps on getting better and better,” Qrow muttered.

Ruby looked at Yang straight in the eyes and asked, “Yang how could you do this?! We're supposed to trust each other and respect each other!”

Yang had tears forming in her eyes when she said, “I'm sorry Ruby but enough is enough. It's time to go home. I miss you. We all miss you. But we've been forced into seeing you brainwashed by such a despicable person and it's hurting all of us. I know you're against it now but once you're home for a little while then you'll see that we were right all along and then you can turn him in. That should be enough to pardon you and then you can keep on living your dream to be a huntress. Isn't that what you want?”

Ruby felt numb. They never believed her or even tried to. They had planned for Qrow to come along to this. They spent the last several hours faking everything so that they could betray her. 

“Come on Ruby. It's time to go home.” She heard Qrow say from behind as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

“Let go of me.” She said as she tried to stifle a cry.

His grip on her shoulder only tightened.

“I said let go of me!” She yelled as she broke out into a sob.

This time he tried to push her forward.

“LET GO OF ME NOW!” She screamed as she did a roundhouse kick to hit Qrow in the face. He flew into the brick wall and lay in a crumpled heap. 

After a few seconds of horrifying silence his eyes flickered open and he rubbed his chin. “Damn… I'll give you kudos for that one. You're a lot stronger than you look.”

“Ruby,” Yang whispered. Ruby looked over to see Yang holding her arms out for a hug. “Please come with us? You need help and we want to help you. Please?”

Every time Yang took a step forward Ruby took a step back. It happened faster and faster until Yang broke out into a sprint. Nothing Yang could do would ever be able to match Ruby’s semblance though. Ruby ran through the system of alleyways using her semblance for short bursts to turn properly and limit the amount of petals she would generate. Whenever she would cross a street she made sure to run fast enough that no one would see her. On several occasions she would freeze behind a corner to check and make sure that nobody was following her. She eventually made her way to the secret entrance of Roman’s apartment and into his hidden private elevator. On the way up she tried to come up with some way to explain what happened, why she was home so early and why she was so scared.

When the elevator doors opened he heard Roman’s greeting from one of the other rooms. “Ruby! You’re back already? Well this is a surprise. How did everything go?”

Words failed Ruby so she just followed the sound of his voice and met him in the doorway towards their computer room. Before he could say a word she had wrapped her arms around him and held him as tight as she could. Like this she was warm, safe and home. She let her built up fear sink out. She let out a silent cry into his shirt while she felt him return her embrace. He slowly guided her to the couch so that they could talk.

He helped her remove some of her disguise so she could air out her hair and he could see her eyes. When she finally calmed down enough she asked “Roman? You’re not brainwashing me are you?”

He did a double take and rose an eyebrow in confusion. “What? Where did this come from?”

Ruby just stared at her hands fiddling with the brim of her dress. “They all said that this was nothing but brainwashing.”

He took her hands and held them which made Ruby look straight into his eyes for his response. They held only love and compassion. “It’s not, trust me it’s not. I don’t even know how to brainwash. And even if that doesn’t convince you look around you. I’m doing all of this for you. You’ve made me a better person and I’m trying to make amends. Why would I go through all that trouble if I was just brainwashing you to like me? Why would I betray my boss and put everything I’ve ever worked for on the line? I assure you that what we have is real, very real. If there can only be three undeniable truths in this universe it is that I love you, you love me, and what everyone else thinks doesn't matter.

I’m sorry if they made this morning fowl and you can tell me all about it over dinner. What sounds good to you?”

“Cookies,” she said with a weak smile.

“What else other than cookies?” He said with a smirk.

“Um, can you make lasagna?”

“Your wish is my command. Why don’t you go change into your normal clothes while I’m busy cooking? You can take a nice relaxing shower and soothe those nerves of yours. I’ll be damned if I let this ruin your day.”

She followed his advice and took a shower. The majority of the time she spent in there though was just her thinking. Nobody but her could understand why she wanted to help Roman so much. Of course being in love with him made her want to protect his well being and happiness but she was not blinded by her feelings. She knew who he was and a good portion of the awful things he has done. But what angered her most was not that her friends and family did not like Roman, she never expected them to. What grinded her gears the most was that they considered Roman to be beyond saving.

She had been told from birth stories upon stories of people going against insurmountable odds and emerging victorious to save the day. How could they not understand that the same could be applied to people? It does not matter how deep one is immersed in the abyss there is always a way out. Sure, the road has been messy and there have been a few falls, but he was still trying. Roman was trying to make amends not just because he wanted to make her happy, although she was sure that influenced it greatly. He was doing this because he wanted to. He wants to make up for what he has done. He wants to help people. Why could they not realize that nobody is too far gone or is beyond saving?

When she was dressed she walked out to see what he had done. He had dimmed the lights and put out candles to make it as romantic as possible. 

“You really didn't have to do all this.”

“The way your eyes just lit up are telling me I did. Come, take a seat.”

The meal was phenomenal. Eventually she asked, “Okay, where did you learn to cook?”

“Self-taught. After you've eaten the worst things in the world you only want to eat the finest from then on. Also a personal chef is expensive.”

“But I didn't think you'd be this good at Italian food.”

“They call me Roman for a reason.”

“Perhaps I should start calling you Italian Torchwick?” She cooed.

They talked about her morning and how she felt betrayed. He did his best to comfort her and try to stay optimistic. After all, up until those last few minutes she was having the time of her life. 

After dinner came several presents. Nothing was too big and there were not too many but she did not mind. What mattered to her was that they were gifts from Roman. After ripping through the assortment of wrapping paper she found that her gifts included ammunition for her scythe, dye for her red highlights, and chocolate strawberries.

He also handed her original scroll back. Before she could question it he explained that when she had tried downloading his files it uploaded the Black Queen virus onto it. That meant it was compromised and was being watched as well as stealing all her data. He explained that it took him several hours of coding to destroy the virus but when he did it returned everything. All her lost photos, notes and memorabilia were back.

But what stood out the most was a small little package that Roman had told her to save for last. After opening it she saw that it was a jewelry case. When she opened it she gasped. It was a silver necklace with a silver pendant about the size of her palm in the shape of her rose insignia. It was finely crafted and matched her ensignia down to the slightest detail. What really stood out was at the center there was the gem of her namesake. It was a beautiful ruby that made it look like the flower was just beginning to bloom and would soon fill the entire silver pendant with a gorgeous rose red.

“I love it. It's so beautiful.” She whispered.

“I thought to myself, ‘What better to get my beautiful rose than a beautiful rose?’”

She leaned up and gave him a quick string of kisses. As soon as she finished she took the necklace with care and wrapped it around her neck. “I love it. Thank you so much. I'll never take it off.”

“You don't have to constantly keep it on.”

“Nope, I'm gonna.”

His only response was to smile. “Whatever makes you happy. By the way I made you a cookie cake for dessert. If you want to we could have some-”

“Cookies! Where are the cookies?!”

“There, there, my little cookie monster. Just give me a minute and everything will be ready.” He said rustling her hair. 

For her cookie cake he even had candles. She cried a little when he sang happy birthday to her, although whether or not they were tears of joy or sadness she did not know. After eating too many pieces and feeling beyond full Ruby asked, “So what's the surprise you had planned for me?”

“Well it's nothing big but I rented a movie for us.”

“Really? What movie?”

He pulled out of his suit a copy of _The Huntress and the Beowolf_. “I know that you really were excited about watching this on our first date and it was my fault that we never did. So I thought what better movie to watch? After all you had picked it out for us.”

Ruby’s eyes lit up. He remembered that she had wanted to see that movie. That was so sweet of him. It was not long until the two of them were lying next to each other on the couch with a blanket over them.

The reviewers were not wrong when they said that it was a good comedy. Once a particular scene came on Ruby felt herself go pale though. She had forgotten her secret plan for that night and was now having to watch it unfold in front of her. All she wanted was to know if he had feelings for her.

“Ruby…”

“Y-Yes?” She asked hesitantly.

“I knew that you picked out a comedy for us but I never thought you'd be so bold to get a romantic comedy on the first date.”

Ruby felt her face burn bright red as the makeout scene on the screen continued. “I-I didn't know al-alright?”

He proceeded to chuckle nefariously. He leaned down to whisper in her ear “You may have picked up a lot from me but you've yet to pick up on how to lie. If I didn't know any better I think that you chose this on purpose.”

She felt so embarrassed. She was caught red handed by a criminal no less. “Alright so I knew that it was going to have this. I just thought that it would give me the answer as to whether or not you had feelings for me. I wasn't sure what I was feeling either so I thought that if there was something going on between us then it needed a little push.”

“So you were trying to get a kiss out of me?”

“I don't know. M-maybe.” 

He was rubbing his arm up and down her side in way that only he could make feel sensual. “Remember what I told you earlier? You don't ever have to ask for a kiss. I'd happily obli-”

She flipped herself around and smashed her lips against his before he could continue. He was teasing her and she was not going to have any more of it. Even though she was kissing him as much as she could while still being able to breathe she made sure to take things slow. After all it was her birthday and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it. 

She slowed down some more after an imaginary line came into focus. It was the boundary between love and lust and she felt no need or desire to cross it. It just did not seem meaningful to do so. Beyond it held no chance of increased intimacy. Besides, she was in such a state of bliss why change it?

Every time her lips came into contact with his it was like she was making a promise. She felt like words could never do enough justice to tell him how much she loved him. Each kiss meant a thousand “I love you”s. Time was nonexistent and the universe was composed of just the two of them. They were closed off from the rest of the world by a wall of devotion, peace, and love.

She no longer felt “sparks” or “butterflies”, but instead a deep sense of belonging. She felt like she was home, safe and sound. It was all a testament to the life they had together and the life she was planning on building with him.

When she finally felt like she could do no more she reluctantly pulled away and looked at him with her forehead placed against his. His emerald eyes shined with the beauty of new life and kindness, a testament to how much he had changed. She was thankful that she was with him. Yes it had taken a lot of work and too much sacrifice on both ends, but she was determined to make things work out. Together they would fix everything. Then she would have her love of being a huntress and her love of her soulmate.

She was brought back to reality when he smiled and said, “Well now, that was fun.”

Still a little out of breath she panted, “Yeah… Yeah it was…”

“I hope you don't mind we missed the rest of the movie?”

She turned back to see the end credits scrolling up on the screen. She laughed in response. She heard Roman beneath her ask, “What's so funny?”

“Just that our moment was so long we missed the end of the movie.”

“If you want me to I can rewind?”

“No thank you.” She said nuzzling her head into his neck. “I already got everything I wanted. I don't want to see the ending.”

“Really?”

“Well they make it seem like everything's over. But if it was a real story then the characters would still live on and go on new adventures. I like that more.”

“I never thought about it like that but you're right. Life doesn't end when an author says it does.”

“Thank you for an amazing day and being you.”

“It was no trouble at all. Anything for you.”

“Goodnight Roman.”

“Goodnight Ruby.”

* * *

When Ruby woke the first thing she noticed was that she felt warm. Opening her eyes she saw that she was snuggled up next to Roman with a blanket up to her neck. They were still on the couch and the only light was from the city and the moon. It was incredibly cozy and thus she tried to go back to sleep.

Something was keeping her up though. She could not tell what but her eyes refused to stay closed. Eventually she conceded to her insomnia and got up to get some fresh air. She took special care to not disturb Roman and made her way into the bedroom. Once there she walked out the sliding glass door that led to the terrace. She looked out at the unobstructed view of Beacon and the moon. It was beautiful to say the least.

Her mind drifted off towards whether or not her actions were justified. Everything that led her up to this point came under consideration. She did have regrets but she could not see her decision to be with Roman as an overall bad thing. It was her life and everyone had always told her to do what made her happy. Being with Roman made her happy. Yes tensions between her and her friends were high but they could not understand. She was working with Roman not just to save the two of them but to save all of Remnant. She was in a way trying to save everybody. 

She heard the door slide open behind her and turned her head to see Roman walking out to join her. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ruby leaned on him and return her gaze towards Beacon.

“Are you homesick?” He asked.

“A little. I’m just thinking about everything that’s led up to this point.”

“That’s an awfully large task to be doing at two in the morning. Are they good thoughts?”

“Yes… Yes they are… Everyone’s always told me to do what makes me happy. You make me happy.”

He chuckled which earned him a slap on the wrist. “I didn't mean it like that.” She muttered.

“You walked into your own trap on that one, it's not my fault.”

“Anyways, I wanted to tell you something else.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t have to worry about me and my mental state. I'll still have bad days and I don't think things can ever return to just the way they were, but I'm safe. Love can't heal all wounds like I've found out with you, but you've still always been there for me. I’ve made peace with it all.”

He gave her a small squeeze. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.”

“When you think about it we’re trying to save the world. Even though friendships have been strained and broken they are redeemable. Everything is redeemable. Especially you. You’ve changed so much. Not because it would make me happy but because you want to. You’re a good person now because I’ve helped you. But I don’t want you to think that this is one sided. 

You’ve helped me in so many ways and you have no idea what it means to me. I am who I am today because of you. With you I found that I don’t have to hide any part of me. With you I feel free. With you I feel like I’m alive. I can be who I want to be. It doesn’t matter what hardships lie ahead of us. It doesn’t matter if we’re on Death’s doorstep. My heart and soul belong to you. I will love you till the end of time.”

He turned her around to face him. Tears of joy sparkled in the moonlight. “I may never have deserved you but you are the greatest thing I’ve ever had in my life. I was just a street dog blinded by materialism and lies before I found you. You took away the veil over my eyes and gave my life reason again. You showed me that I can fix my mistakes and not live in a world consumed in pain. You’re my guardian angel and my savior. I’ll love you forever.”

They shared a small string of soft kisses before they decided to head back to bed. She snuggled him knowing that she had found the one. The one she would care for in good times and bad. The one who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The one whom she would love for all of eternity.

* * *

Waking up she knew that when they finally had their names cleared that she wanted this. She wanted to stay with him forever, just like how she was in this moment. She would finish her years in Beacon and when she graduated then she could be with Roman forever. Then they would have nothing to fear, nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to worry about. They could live and love in peace and harmony.

All they needed to do was defeat Cinder. That's when her eyes bulged open. Her breathing turned rapid and she felt her heartbeat spike. In a flash she jumped out of bed and ran towards the computer room. She needed to check something, for if she was right it would spell victory.

She began searching immediately through strained eyes. She had to find it, their lives depended on it.

“Good morning Ruby, what's the rush?” Roman yawned from the doorway which earned him a face full of scattered pencils Ruby had thrown in his general direction. 

“No talking, I'm onto something.”

He muttered, “fair enough” before taking a seat beside her.

After five minutes of precision screening on the page, she found the subset of a subset on a rather boring and seemingly meaningless Atlas report that had been discarded for lack of specific information, that gave her the answer. She gasped and froze.

“What? What's going on? Ruby is something wrong?” Roman asked getting increasingly anxious.

Ruby only responded by cupping his face to give him a passionate kiss before she said, “I just realized it now but I think I know how to defeat Cinder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've been updating so much recently because I wanted to get this chapter out by today. I know that they don't go online much anymore, but I'm pretty sure they still read this story. I wanted to say happy birthday to that special someone. If I'm off by a few days I apologize, we haven't talked in awhile so my memory tells me April 24th but I may be wrong. 
> 
> It's been a long time so if you're ever able to get online again, Sky and I made an honorary tumblr account for you. That way nobody could take your username. It's a little barren but it's there as a placeholder if you ever wish to come back.
> 
> I… I know that things ended pretty quickly and for that I am truly and deeply sorry. You're not to blame in the slightest. All I'd ever wanted was to make you happy through whatever means I had to. And I'd still like to but I don't know if it's safe to respond. I'd like to be friends again and if it's possible then I'll do everything I can to make it happen and make sure you're alright. If not though, I'd understand. Some friendships can't come back after a blow like that. 
> 
> Just know that while it exploded in both of our faces to the point it'd be funny if it wasn't so tragic, I enjoyed our relationship while it lasted. It was fun and while I think we both knew that it wouldn't last at the level we were at, no relationship should've been destroyed in such a way. If anyone is to blame then it's me. Also, I'm not saying that I want to start off right where we left off. I just want to be your friend again, nothing more.
> 
> Anyways, I've probably rambled on long enough to make all my other readers question what the heck is going on. I tried to leave out a lot of details to make it so only we'd understand. I'll wrap this up so just know that whether I ever hear from you again or not, I wish for you to be happy and I'll remember you forever.
> 
> Last but most certainly not least, goodnight and sweet dreams my little tadpole.
> 
> _-J_
> 
> P.S. For anyone else questioning, the birthday scene in the story was there originally. I just saw an opportunity to release it at this time with the note so I did. To anyone who doesn't understand the note, that's kind of the point. You don't need to know more than that my story is the last place I can send them a message anymore and I didn't want to see them go without clearing my chest first. I'd have to or else I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Thank you all for putting up with this.


	42. Reunion

“Can someone please explain to me why the hell did you demand me to get here so early?! And why's Ruby jumping of the walls?!” Asked Junior sitting down in one of the chairs.

Roman had to admit that he was fairly excited himself but he knew how to control it. Ruby on the other hand… 

Before he could say a word Ruby finished her countless laps around the living area and yelled, “I know how to defeat Cinder!”

Roman could not help but laugh at the combined reactions of Ruby with her excitement and Junior doing a spit take. “Yeah I hardly believed it too. But she's told me the plan and it sounds like it can actually work.”

After a good coughing fit Junior said, “Dear God you're actually going through with this. Alright what do you need me for?”

“Ruby you were the one who thought of it. It's only fitting that you get to tell him.”

“Yay!” She squealed. “Alright, so considering what we know about Cinder, she is an anarchist. The train incident was under her orders so we know that whatever she has planned is going to hurt a lot of people. Vale has natural boundaries that prevent Grimm from getting in and with the train tunnels sealed and reinforced then nothing should be able to get through that. This means that whatever she uses she has to transport in. 

Keep in mind that security is increased due to the Vytal festival starting today, which means that any Grimm that she is somehow able to ship in would be quickly taken care of by Atlesian Knights. But she has a trump card. Just like how my scroll contracted the Black Queen virus from Roman's, so to can any other electronic device. Roman described the virus as an almost unhackable code that allows anything connected from the source to be infected. 

I discovered this morning that while each squad of Knights are run from different servers, there's still a single server monitoring it all. It doesn't run a whole lot because of how much it has to monitor, but it runs on and off switches, diagnostics, and activation systems. If that could somehow get hacked then the virus would trickle down and infect every other military server. Any machines can then be reprogrammed and given new instructions. We knew she would likely use the machines against us but we didn't know how until this morning.

If the machines are on her side then she could send bullheads in to drop off Grimm without worrying about being shot out of the sky. With how many people are here there would be mass panic and that would only make things worse. She could then essentially take control of Vale and kill anyone in it. What's more is that she has enough dust to power the Knights for however long she wants. Even worse is that she has all of Atlas’s EMP’s.”

Junior took a minute to let that sink in. “Alright so let's say that this doomsday plan she has going on happens. How long do we got and how do we stop it?”

“It's likely going to happen today or in one week for the first or last match of the Vytal festival. As to how we stop it that's the tricky part. Her entire plan revolves around using the machines as weapons and holding control of them. Considering we don't know how she's going to get access to them it's best to counter what we do know. If we are able to get the machines to be withdrawn from Vale then we can stop this from the start. If not then let's hope Atlas has rebuilt an EMP and have one on one of their ships. 

Should worst come to worst then we'll use Roman's syndicate. We have been expecting some kind of large and violent takeover for a while now. Roman has taken as many of his loyal syndicate members that he has left and has sent them to Vale. We'll use them to help fight them off until everyone can be evacuated.”

Roman joined in saying, “I've been spending large amounts of money on firearms and ammunition. I have them stashed in hidden locations and I have told all of my members that should something arise go and arm themselves and the public. If people want to stay and fight then they'll have the opportunity.”

Roman stared at Junior trying to take all this in. He could understand the surprise. After all Roman was still waking up when this was all told to him. When Junior did finally speak he said, “Damn. So what do you want me to do?”

“If we are to arm the people then I want you leading them. You'd be surprised how many people trust you out there. You're a good strategist and a damn resilient fighter. I've instructed my syndicate to treat any order that comes from your mouth as if it came from mine.”

“You know I'm not a good leader.”

“Yes you are. Have a little faith in yourself. You've saved my skin countless times and I have no doubt that you'd do the right thing to save others.”

“Alright. Let's just hope that things never come to that.”

“Agreed.” Roman did not have a single moment to prepare before Ruby jumped onto his lap. He was about to scold her but seeing her so happy prevented him from doing anything but smiling. “What was that for?”

“I know that we're talking about horrible things but I can't help but feel so happy. We're going to save people. If we can get this information to Ozpin or Ironwood then this should be enough to pardon both of us. We're going to have a future together!” She said as she cupped his cheek for a quick kiss.

Junior groaned and growled, “Ugh. Five shots and that won't faze me but just one kiss and you make me want to hurl. Can you-”

Roman's ears picked up on something. It could have been white noise but he did not want to take chances. “Shhhh…”

“What's going on?”

“I swear I can hear something.”

Roman slowly picked up Ruby and set her down beside him so he could get up. He followed the disturbance until he reached the front door. Pressing his ear against it he could hear a distinct beeping sound. He could feel his face draining of color when he realized the pace was increasing.

He sprinted back to the main room and shouted, “Damn it! Ruby grab your scythe and get behind me. Junior activate Man of Steel. We have less than ten seconds!”

“Roman what's wrong?” Ruby asked.

“We have a bomb on our doorstep.” 

The three of them ran their separate ways. Roman grabbed his cane and ran back towards where Junior was standing by the entrance to the main hallway. Ruby came speeding out of their bedroom, sheathed scythe in hand, and ran up next to Roman. 

He cupped her face to look him straight in the eye. “Listen to me Ruby. We're going to be fine. I promise you we are. I just need you to close your eyes and cover your ears. Alright?” 

She nodded before she did as he asked. He made sure to position himself behind Junior, whose skin had already turned to steel by this point, and held onto Ruby for dear life. He closed his eyes and braced himself for any hits from debris that may come near them.

The sound was deafening. Roman felt the heat rush past him and several cuts being made in the sides of his back from shrapnel. When he finally opened his eyes he gasped. Everything was gone. The roof was barely holding up and debris was strewn everywhere. Looking down he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ruby safe and sound. That's all that mattered. Looking behind him he found the damage to be even worse than he thought. Walls were crumpled and their computer room and bedroom were gone. Small fires were scattered across the area but their smoke was quickly blown away by the uninterrupted wind.

While all this did concern him there was something else of more comedic and pressing matters. Once the ringing in his ears started to fade he called out to Junior standing behind him. “Junior.”

“WHAT?”

“Junior! Look down!”

“WHAT?”

“JUNIOR YOUR CLOTHES!”

“WHAT ABOUT THEM?!”

“I! SAID! LOOK! DOWN!”

“Well shit.” 

Roman rubbed his head and sighed. Junior forgets every time that just because his skin is fireproof does not mean that his clothes were.

“Roman what about his clothes-” Ruby started to ask trying to peek out past him.

He did his best to shove her head back to his chest and said, “Trust me when I say that is something you don't want to see.”

Roman began racking his brain for his next course of action. Since it was a bomb on the doorstep then the chances were high that someone was waiting for them to finish them off. It is what he would have done if he was organizing the hit. His thoughts were interrupted by hearing a distinct voice. One that he could have gone on living without hearing again.

Mercury strolled in with a sneer and said, “Sup bitches. By the way that was for Emerald. I'm a bit disappointed in you all. I mean how much needs to happen before you get the memo that you should just die already? Wait… Why is there a naked gray man standing in front of me?”

Roman peeked out behind Junior and said, “Ah, Mercury! If you wanted to stop by you should've called. While the housewarming present was a warm gesture, I believe it's time to return to sender. Isn't that right Junior?”

Junior’s eyes were filled with rage when he smashed his fists together and cracked his knuckles. With a smile he said, “Gladly.”

Mercury scoffed, “Am I supposed to be intimidated? The larger they are the harder they fall.”

Mercury charged forward and aimed a kick towards Junior’s head. A large clang echoed out when the two collided. Should that have hit a normal person then they would have been knocked out cold but Junior was far from normal. Roman wished he had a camera to take a picture of Mercury’s face right then and there.

Junior took the boot resting by his head and yanked it towards him. Mercury followed with it and soon was suspended by Junior’s grip so the two were face to face. Mercury aimed a kick towards Junior’s crotch only to find that when Junior turns his skin metal that it does that everywhere. Junior gave a new meaning to the phrase “balls of steel”.

Junior just threw his head back and laughed. “Listen you little shit. I'd be able to let an attack on me slide by. I know that I deserve it for the things I've done. But when you try to hurt my friends, _that_ is unforgivable. By the way do you know what I like most about you Mercury?”

“What?” Mercury spat.

An evil smile grew on Junior’s face. “You're just like the metal of your namesake. You go splat when you hit the ground.”

Mercury’s face became one of pure terror but before he could say something Junior unleashed a battle cry and ran off the side of the building holding Mercury beneath him. 

Roman turned his head back to Ruby to see that she was watching the encounter. Her face had gone pale although whether it was over Junior’s safety or seeing Junior nude he did not know. She whispered, “Is he going to be alright?”

“That depends. Are you talking about Junior or Mercury?”

“Junior.”

“He should be fine.” They walked over to the edge and peeked down. Junior was standing up brushing himself off. Mercury on the other hand was a gruesome scene. “Junior are you alright?!” Roman yelled down.

Seeing a thumbs up as an answer Roman continued yelling, “Go get yourself some clothes and then head to the factory on 12th and Broad! I don't think that this is the end and there should be weapons there!”

Junior did the “ok” sign with his hands and then sped off down the street. Roman turned back to Ruby to say, “Well there's no better time than the present. I think we have our answer as to whether it's today or in a week. Let's go pay Ozpin a visit shall we?”

“Yeah,” she said shaking a little. She turned her back to him and held her arms out to her sides. “Hop on.”

Roman sighed and said, “Do we really have to do this again?”

“I don't care if it looks weird. We have fifteen stories of stairs and then a good mile to Beacon. We don't have time for anything else.”

With a groan he hoisted himself on her back. “If people think we're doing something dirty I'm blaming you.”

“Oh they'd have a lot more than that to blame us for.”

With that she sped off at a blinding speed. Roman was not used to her semblance and he believed that he never would be. There was just something unnatural about running 120 miles per hour. He had to admit that they made record time though. 

One minute they were running down the stairs, the next in the streets of Vale, the one after that they were in the halls of Beacon. On the way a few things came to his attention though. First off he heard other explosions and some gunfire that led him to believe that Cinder was executing her plan in full. Another thought that came to mind was that he was dressed in his normal attire which was going to make explaining why they need help a lot more difficult. 

They finally reached a grinding halt by the elevators. As soon as they stopped and called for an elevator Roman heard a voice behind him call out for Ruby. He did not need to look behind him to know who it was. 

At that point the doors opened and the pair rushed in. Roman began tapping the close doors button as fast as humanly possible while watching a sprinting Yang charge after them. “RRRRUUUUBBBBYYYY!” Yang yelled as she gave one last dive towards the elevators. 

Just then they closed and he could hear the sound of Yang colliding with the metal doors on the other side. He turned to see how Ruby reacted. She was looking pale and was sweating but from nervousness or fear he did not know. “Hey are you alright?” He asked.

Ruby breathed out a troubled sigh. “Not really. I'm sure that Yang is alright. She just doesn't trust me anymore. Roman?”

“Yes?”

“If I can't get my own sister to trust me how am I supposed to convince Ozpin and Ironwood that you're on our side?”

He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Everything will be alright. I'll make sure of it. I promise you that.”

She still looked nervous so he brought her into a light hug. He had to admit that it was partially to calm his own nerves. He kissed her once on the forehead and immediately the doors opened. 

_“Damn it.”_ He thought. _“Every time.”_

A loud gunshot rang out and Roman pushed Ruby away from the door while he reeled back just in time to dodge the projectile. He glanced over at the smoking hole in the wall behind them and then back over at Ruby whom he had pushed away from the bullet. Ruby looked at him once and then a determined look grew on her face. She walked forward and stood where the elevator doors were so they could not close. She held her hands above her head and said “Please don't shoot. We're only here to help.”

Roman heard the iconic voice of Ironwood say, “Why should I? You brought the number one most wanted criminal to us and expect us not to shoot?”

“We're only here to help.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that? If my memory serves me correctly you are a wanted criminal too. Why should I not shoot the two-”

The voice of Ozpin interrupted saying, “James. Please put down the gun.”

“Are you aware of what you're asking me to-”

“Haven't you ever heard ‘Don't shoot the messenger’?”

After a bit of grumbling Ironwood said, “Fine.”

Taking that as his cue, Roman hesitantly crept out of the elevator to see Ozpin, Ironwood, Gylinda and Qrow all standing by the desk on the far end of the room. Roman could hear every step thunder through the room as Ruby and him walked closer. He felt like he was about to have a job interview, except if he did not do well then he would lose his life instead of an opportunity.

“We're here to help,” Ruby said again.

“And just how are you going to so that?”

“I have a plan to stop Cinder.”

“Cinder?”

Roman said, “You may know her as the Black Queen.”

An uneasy silence filled the room. Expressions of shock covered all their faces except Ozpin’s.

It was Qrow who spoke up first. “What do you know about the Black Queen?”

“Probably more than you do, after all I had to work for her. Did you really think I did all that I have because I was a maniac? While I may be a bit off, I was only following orders.”

Ironwood asked, “You expect us to believe this?”

“I don't see any reason not to.”

“You're a criminal.”

“Ex-criminal.”

“You've yet to be pardoned.”

Ruby chimed in saying, “That's why we're here. If we can stop Cinder then isn't that enough to be pardoned? For both of us?”

“How do we know that she's that much of a threat?”

Qrow grabbed Ironwood’s shoulder and spun him to face him. “Listen Johnny, you haven't seen what she's done. I've watched villages burn to the ground because of her. If she's doing something here in Vale then it is the greatest threat to world peace since the last Great War!”

Ruby then said, “We have a good idea of what her plans are. If you do as we say then we can save countless lives.”

Roman felt a sense of hope grow within him. This could work out. Ironwood eventually sighed and asked, “What are you asking us to do?”

Roman bluntly said, “Withdraw and shut down all Knights.”

“WHAT?! THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL-”

“Do it.” Ozpin commanded.

All heads turned towards Ozpin who did nothing but take a sip from his mug. Ironwood yelled, “What?! I will not! If the Black Queen is here then-”

“If the Black Queen is here then that means that our estimates of her plans are far outdated. We are in the dark but we have two lovely people here willing to enlighten us. I suggest you listen to them.”

Ruby seeing that Ironwood was about to blow a fuse said, “Just all machine soldiers. You can keep the live ones.”

“That won't be enough in the case of an attack.” Ironwood rebutted.

“Cinder is planning on taking control of your machines. If she can't do that then the primary part of her plan is no longer possible.”

“That's preposterous. That could-”

“WE DON'T HAVE TIME!” Ruby screamed. “She is beginning her attack now! She already sent someone to kill us this morning. The first match of the Vytal festival is starting right now and if you don't do something then people are going to die!”

“That's impossible! Clearly this dog beside you has fed you lies! If I must prove it to you then I'll call my lieutenant on my head ship right now.”

Ironwood pulled out a scroll and dialed the lieutenant. “Here I'll put it on speaker for you all to hear. Lieutenant!”

They heard a rather rough voice answer, “Yes sir!”

“Please do me a favor and give me a status report. I need to prove a point.”

“Why certainly sir. According to our systems check everything is functional… Hold on a minute this can't be right…”

“What is the problem?”

“We appear to have a form of glitch in the system. All systems are functioning but can't be changed. Communications between ships as well as different parts of ships are starting to fail. Sir, what are my orders?”

Ironwood’s face began to pale. “Well… Your orders are to-”

He was interrupted by what sounded like a series of gunshots echoing in the background. “What's going on?! Answer me!” He yelled.

There was nothing but static until the call ended abruptly. That's when they heard the screeching. It sounded like metal against metal in a horrible high pitched squeal. Goosebumps covered Roman's body when he realized it was not coming from the call; it had ended moments ago. He looked towards where the ships of the Atlas military were floating in the distance. He gasped at the destruction he saw.

The flagship on the end had turned sharp enough that it collided with the one next to it, which in turn collided with the one next to it and so on and so forth. In the end it created a domino effect that created two projectiles. The flagship began heading towards the edge of Vale while the five other ships all were dropping as one unit. The combined ships created the largest projectile in the world and ran into the greatest target of the world: the Vytal festival arena.

They joined with a large flash of light and a thundering boom. Roman could feel the shockwave rock the building slightly as the once great symbol of world peace had be diminished to a mass grave of fiery, burning metal. 

They all stood there in silence, each one afraid to breathe a word. The first one to move was Ozpin. He grabbed his cane and clenched it tightly as he stepped slowly over towards the window. He rose his cane and slammed it on the ground. A loud thunder echoed throughout the room but the atmosphere changed as well. There was a surge of energy that was flowing through the headmaster. Roman could not tell what it was but it was beyond the powers of even Cinder.

Roman blinked once and then the next thing he knew Ozpin was standing right in front of him. Roman jumped back but not too far. The look on Ozpin's face told him that one wrong move could be the end. “Glynda, gather the students and commence an evacuation. Qrow, try to do what you can to organize a resistance to any hostiles whether human, faunus, machine, or Grimm. Ironwood… You're going to stay here.”

“That is absurd! Surely you don't think this is my fault!”

“I do not but all of your tools are either gone, scattered, or have joined the enemy. They have just displayed their power and I think it's very clear that you no longer have control over the situation. So you shall remain here. Unless you have some important information that could-”

“I have an EMP,” Ironwood muttered.

That made Ozpin turn his head. “What?”

“We still had a few designs left after Torchwick’s heist. There's one in the flagship that landed on the edge of Vale. You might be able to stop them with that.”

Ozpin took a second to think on that before facing Roman again. “Mr. Torchwick am I correct when I say that your forces are in place?”

Roman chose his words carefully as Ozpin’s eyes held a glow of hidden power.  
“How do you know about that?”

“You can't expect to militarize the city's occupants without receiving attention.”

“In that case… They should be sir. My syndicate should be arming themselves as well as the public to create a proper defense.”

“Then I hope it's not too much to ask but I'd like to give you two an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?” Ruby asked.

“If I had enough influence I would pardon the two of you right now. Ms. Rose I know you never meant to catch yourself in Torchwick's line of work. I'm sorry I failed to see the plans of our enemy. Because of that you were put in tremendous risk and there is nobody to blame but I. 

I would also like to apologize for my actions involving the case of Mr. Winchester. Nothing I could do or say could express how sorry I am. My actions, while at the time I believed justified because of my lack of knowledge on the subject, were wrong. I should have done more and because of my carelessness, I put you through unnecessary pain. I'm sorry.”

Ruby nodded in acceptance and Ozpin let out a sigh. He turned towards Roman and said, “Mr. Torchwick, I do believe you have changed with your time spent here as Mr. Cyan.”

“You-you've known?! For how long?”

“Since the beginning. I decided to let you stay since it was significantly easier to watch over you here. I also know that this school has a special effect on people. I wanted to see if it would work on you. It's very clear it has. Do you wish to stick to this new path you've chosen?

“I do.”

“While I may see the two of you as functioning members of society, many still do not. Perhaps an act of heroism will persuade them otherwise? Should you be able to get to the crashed flagship and detonate the EMP then the combined forces of Beacon and the armed public should be able to push back the forces of the Black Queen. I have no doubt that the public would then have no choice but to view you two in a more positive light.” Ozpin said with a reassuring smile.

Ruby’s face lit up with excitement. “You really think so?”

“I have no doubt in my mind. Now if you excuse me I have to meet an old friend.”

Ozpin walked over to the elevator to leave. When Roman turned back around he was looking into the eyes of Qrow. The death glare he was receiving made him gulp nervously.

“So you're the person who's ruined my niece’s life?” Qrow asked.

Roman flinched when he heard that. He was having enough trouble as it was dealing with the guilt as it was. He could completely understand the feelings of the man standing before him. Roman breathed a sigh and looked down, unable to meet Qrow’s gaze. “I never wanted any of this to happen. I never wanted her to get hurt. I used every resource available to keep her safe and failed. If I could I would change things but-”

The air was knocked out of his lungs with a swift punch. He went down to one knee and looked up at Qrow’s death gaze. 

“You know you'll never be good enough for my niece, right?” Qrow spat.

Ruby tried to get between the two of them but was held back with a single hand of Qrow’s. Roman slowly getting back up said, “You think that you need to tell me this? I've known it since the beginning.”

“Then why do continue to do this?”

“Because she wishes it.”

Qrow turned sharply to Ruby but instead of avoiding his gaze she confidently stared right back at him. “You wanted this to happen?” He whispered.

“Not all of this chaos but I still want to be with him.” Ruby then broke free from Qrow’s grip on her and stood right beside Roman with her fingers intertwined with his. 

She went on to say, “He's changed, he really has. He wants to help us and I'll stand up for him until he's given a chance. I won't stand by and abandon someone who is redeemable. That's true regardless if we're dating. I know our relationship has messed things up but I've made peace with what's happened. I knew the risks but I took the chance anyway. A lot has happened and I've experienced some of the worst moments of my life. But compared to the amount of happiness and joy I've had, I would go through it all again. 

I won't lie. There was a time that I lost hope. I thought that everything was gone and could never come back. I thought that it would be best to end everything. But you know who brought me back? Roman. I don't care what you say about him. I saved him and he saved me. I'm not going to stop loving him just because you want to. We've been through too much and have helped each other in good times and bad. Together we’ve been able to face whatever was in our way.

That's why we're here. We're going to get through this together and make everything right again, for both of us.”

Roman was so proud. Ruby may have been wounded but she had come back stronger than ever. His sense of guilt was diminished but not destroyed. He knew that he had hurt her but the fact that she was able to forgive him never ceased to amaze him. He never deserved to have her be a part of his life but he was thankful that she was.

Qrow snapped his fingers to get his attention. “I've been going on nonstop trips all over the world to stop White Fang operations. Are you the inside source that Yang’s been getting her information from?”

“Yes.”

Qrow squinted at him. “We'll talk more after you stop the Black Queen.”

With that Qrow left for the elevator. When Qrow was gone Roman turned back around to face a furious looking Ironwood. Ironwood slammed his fist down on the table. “I am giving you this information because I have no other choice. This is not because I trust you. If I could I would shoot you right here and now. Do not mistake that.”

Ruby made sure to step in front of Roman and said, “Just tell us and we'll be on our way.”

“I have an EMP inside the flagship that landed on the far side of Vale. The actual EMP itself is located in the engine room but its automatic fire can only be detonated from the command module. Should something happen there then there's a manual overdrive on the EMP itself. If the engines go offline then there should be enough emergency power for two hours if you're actually going to detonate the EMP. Here's a map of the ship you can download.” He said pulling up a holographic map.

Ruby walked forward just enough to download it and then made a hasty retreat. She grabbed Roman and called up the elevator. Just as it finally opened and they walked inside Ironwood called out to them, “After this is all over I'll promise you this Torchwick.”

“What?” Roman asked feeling as if it was going to be grim.

With cold, merciless eyes Ironwood said, “I will not stop until I have your head on a platter.”

Just then the doors closed and the two of them were safe. Roman in a heartbeat grabbed Ruby’s hand and squeezed it tight. He looked away but heard her ask, “Are you scared?”

In a voice that was unable to convince himself he said, “Not at all, I'm doing just fine.”

There was a brief pause before she said, “It's alright to be scared. I am too.”

He let out a sigh and admitted, “I'm downright terrified. There's so much that can go wrong, so much unpredictability.”

“It's alright to be afraid. We've taken big risks before and hopefully this is going to be the last one. We're going to make it through this, I know we are.”

He looked into her eyes to see nothing but determination. She was right about herself, she was better. But what he could see was that she was not just back to her old self. She was stronger now. He smiled knowing that nothing in this world could stop them.

* * *

If only one word could describe the city it would be chaos. Roman and Ruby tried to stick to the alleyways and use her semblance the most they could. They had a two hour limit to get to the crashed flagship and detonate the EMP after all. Meanwhile they had to run the opposite direction of a huge crowd of sprinting civilians trying to get to the evacuation zone. There was never a five second break between gunshots ringing out somewhere in Vale. 

As they got closer and closer to the crashed ship things got progressively worse. Clouds had rolled in and it started to drizzle lightly. It gave the city a sense of being cold and unforgiving. There weren't many people running through the streets, instead they were lying on the ground in a pool of blood. It was nothing that Roman had not seen before but that made it no less horrific. When the two of them had to run on foot during difficult stretches Roman was constantly wondering if the puddle he just stepped in was water or blood.

He was running around a bend when he stopped instantly. All it took was one second of seeing the grotesque image in front of him before he spun around and stopped Ruby from turning around the bend. 

“What's wrong?” She asked.

Roman felt his stomach heave before he gently took her hand and started walking another direction. “You don't want to know.” He said before they entered another alleyway, trying to forget the memory of a group of children lying dead and half eaten.

This was not just a massacre. This was genocide.

They met and rescued several groups of survivors from Atlesian Knights and Grimm alike. The people they rescued were always nervous to see him but their minds quickly changed when once the most obvious threat was neutralized. They could never spend too much time in one place but it felt nice to do some good in a time of such peril. 

By using her semblance as much as possible they were able to make it to the crashed ship in an hour. By now the rain had gotten worse and he just wanted to find shelter. He found an opening in the ship’s hull that was large enough for the two of them to get into and pointed it out to her. Ruby on the other hand just stopped right where she was. Roman now riding on her back was not liking how they just stopped right in the middle of the rain. 

“Uh… Why have we stopped?”

“Penny,” Ruby whispered.

“Who’s Pen-” Was all he got to say before Ruby sped off with him still riding on her back. She ran off to the side and stopped right in front of a red haired girl. Without bothering to give him a moment to jump off she ran forward and brought this “Penny” into a hug that left him feeling trapped and awkward.

“Penny! What are you doing here?!”

“I'm trying to contact my father. I'm sure that he's very worried about me so I need to tell him I'm alright. All of my escort were taken by Grimm so I was looking to get into the crashed ship to find some way of contacting him.” She said with a hiccup.

“We'll help you then.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You're such a good friend. Is he a friend too?” Penny said gesturing over at Roman.

“Yes he is.”

Roman could not resist the temptation and made the comment, “Well to Ruby I'm a bit more than just a friend.”

Penny who seemed oblivious to Ruby’s blushing asked, “Why is he on your back?”

“It's easier to travel using my semblance.” 

“I'm being held against my will.” Roman chimed in.

That earned him a small flick on the forehead from Ruby before she said, “Then you can come with us. We're trying to find our way around the ship. Maybe you can help us?”

Roman whispered in Ruby’s ear, “Are you sure that's a good idea?” 

She flicked his forehead again and Penny said yes. They all entered the flagship and began making their way to the command center. The emergency power lights were on and bathed the confined metal hallways in red. Penny said that she knew a shortcut to the bridge and to follow her. She led them on a windy path that got darker and darker as it goes along. Roman was having the growing feeling that something was wrong. Whenever Penny said that they were almost there she hiccuped. Yet with all of this and even him letting Ruby in on his concerns, she still trusted this Penny wholeheartedly.

A certain point came where they walked into a room that was almost pitch black. Roman stopped right at the door and grabbed Ruby’s arm to stop her from walking in any further. She turned around and said, “I know you're worried but we can trust her. Really we can.” 

She pulled hard enough to break out of his grasp and walked in. He followed her but made sure to stay within arms-reach. All of a sudden Penny stopped and turned around to face them. She hung her head and said, “I'm sorry Ruby. I failed.”

“Failed at what? What's wrong?” Ruby asked.

“I failed my objective. I'm the oldest and I was supposed to pave the way for my future friends to follow. If I had succeeded then I'd have my siblings to be friends with but… But now… They’re all going to be destroyed. All because of me.”

“W-What? Penny you have siblings? And why can't you see them?”

“Because of my new frien-AAHHHHH!” Penny started to say before she started screaming in a way that sounded like a fax machine.

Roman and Ruby slowly backed away a few steps before Roman saw something in Penny's eyes that chilled him to the bone. He reached forward to grab Ruby and pulled her behind him just in time to see the first sword fly. Roman brought up his cane to deflect the barrage of red swords flying at the two of them.

Through the never ending barrage Roman could see the every part of Penny that was green turn red. She smiled when she said, “Because they don't like my new friend. So they'll scrap my production line when they see this. I'm sorry Ruby but you can't be my friend anymore. No one can. The Black Queen wants to be my friend but she says I have to get rid of all my other friends and family first. I hope you understand.”

Roman had to give this Penny kudos on her speed. He was not holding back in the slightest but was barely able to keep her from harming either him or Ruby. He could hear Ruby’s screams and cries from behind him asking Penny to stop but nothing that she said had any effect. It was clear that this Penny was very close to Ruby which made him feel worse for what he had to ask. “Ruby!” He yelled. “Shoot her!”

“Can't you fix this? You got rid of the virus from my scroll maybe you could do the same here?!”

Roman grunted after a particularly hard hit sent him going into a slow and steady retreat. “I'm sorry but she's too far gone from that. I don't have time to do that and detonate the EMP. I'm sorry but we need to put her down.”

“I can't do it! She's Penny! Please don't make me do this!”

“Goddamn it we don't have time Ruby. Think about what she feels. She's being forced to kill one of her best friends. Putting her down would be putting her out of her misery.”

Seeing that Ruby still was not going to make a move, Roman went on the offensive. He tried getting a few shots off but none came remotely close to hitting Penny. He paused just enough to aim but by then it was too late. He saw a sword go for his side that he knew would arrive before he could block it. He braced himself for the pain when he heard a gunshot. 

Opening his eyes he saw the red glowing swords all frozen in midair until the light inside each faded and the sword fell. Looking at Penny he saw a hole right between the eyes. The red slowly began to fade away, but before she went dark there was a little bit of green left inside her. Enough to whisper, “Thank you.”

Roman finally could take a breather but looking down he could see that Ruby was a mess. She was bawling her eyes out and could not seem to form a complete sentence. It hurt him to see her in so much pain. He brought her into his embrace and said, “Don't blame yourself. You had no choice.”

She held onto him for dear life, enough that it hurt him but he did not mind. “B-But s-she… She was my friend…”

“I know. I'm sorry that this had to happen but we need to keep moving. If everything goes well we can come back later and hopefully repair her, alright? But there are still many others that are relying on us to be saved. We need to keep moving.”

He made sure to walk slow and steady to help guide her out of the room and retrace their steps. They pulled out the actual map and made their way to the command center. It was a long walk since they were directed in the opposite direction by Penny but they eventually made it. But when they got there it was not how they expected it to be. 

It looked like a tornado ran through it. Wires were strewn everywhere and all the controls were shattered. Everything was in ruin but what Roman focused on was not the destruction surrounding him. His eyes landed and stuck on Neo sitting on the master controls spinning her umbrella.

He let out a soft growl. “What are you doing here?” He spat.

_[Waiting for you of course. Why else would I be waiting here in this rust bucket?]_

Before Roman could speak Ruby ran forward and yelled, “How could you do all this? Don't you know how many people you've killed? Don't you know how many people you've hurt? Did you even consider how much you hurt Roman when you betrayed him?!”

_[You don't have the right to talk to me about betrayal. In a few months you've made him betray people he's known for most of his life. If anyone is being the villain here it's you.]_

Roman tried talking it out one last time. “Neo I've known you longer than anyone else. So please hear me out on this? I understand the hatred you hold in your heart. I understand your desire for revenge. I was like that too. But this is not the way to do it. This is not the route of revenge. What's happening here is the genocide of a kingdom!”

_[It’s the necessary evil. They're sacrifices.]_

“Are you just willing to throw away countless lives for some stuck up sense of justice?! You're not saving anyone by killing everyone you're trying to save! Imagine if we were children out there. How would you feel towards what you're doing now if you were one of those countless sacrifices?”

He thought that he saw her eyes soften for a brief moment that disappeared as soon as it arrived. _[I have been given orders to kill you. That is something I cannot do even if I tried. But that doesn't mean I can't stop you here.]_ She typed before she put her scroll away and entered a battle stance.

Roman and Ruby both entered battle stances waiting for her to make the first move. Roman made sure to look into her eyes to try to guess what move she would make. After about a minute he felt stuck in place. He could not move but yet neither could anyone else. 

All of a sudden he felt like he was slapped in the face. He recoiled and shook his head. Checking his surroundings he saw Neo throw Ruby into one of the empty cells in the back. His fists clenched and he felt his breathing grow heavy and hot. He charged forward with a battle cry.

They were an equal match. What he lacked in offense he made up with in defense and the opposite was for Neo. They were almost the exact same speed which made everything be parried in one way or another. He became a blur and so did she. While he could not remove his attention from his opponent he could hear Ruby calling out for him from the cell. It gave him comfort to know that she was alright but he wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible.

As soon as he realized that they were an equal match he felt a smack in the side of his head. Returning to the fight he felt this several more times coming out of nowhere. Then he realized that she was using the only thing that gave her an advantage over him: her semblance. She was freezing him with brief illusions to land hits.

The thought of using his own semblance came to mind but he dismissed it as soon as it arrived. He promised himself never again. But that was not helping him win this fight. At one point a hit landed particularly hard and Roman snapped. He got up close and personal and stared into her eyes while baring his teeth. Then he saw her eyes change. They did not change color but in total shape. The pupil stretched into a straight vertical line and the rest of the eye turned gray. Roman backed away slowly in horror at what he had done. He brought his hand to his head and was able to trace the flow of blood down his face, perfectly matching the pathway of his scar to activate his semblance.

Looking back at Neo he found her frozen and could only say one word before the influx of energy and colors filled his eyes. “Shit.”

* * *

Ruby could only watch the fight in front of her. She tried banging the door but nothing was working. All she could do was peer out the tiny barred window at the duel. But she felt the color leave her face when she saw Roman starting to lose. Neo was using her semblance in brief bursts to take the advantage. 

Ruby knew that she had to get out of there. She knew that she had to help him. She tried ramming the door a few times but that only left her with a sore shoulder. When she saw Neo draw Roman's blood she lost it. Through her hyperventilating and adrenaline only one thing was on her mind: saving Roman. Whatever harm came her way did not matter. She ran to the opposite end of the cell and focusing all her power into one short burst she used her semblance and rammed the door.

The pain was immense and she was pretty sure she broke her left arm but she burst through the door. Ignoring her vision turning red and the urge to throw up she slowly staggered over to where Roman and Neo stood frozen. Just as she made it to Roman she gasped. His right eye was malformed. The thin silver scar that could only be seen in moonlight was now a pitch black. His eye turned completely gray except for where the scar overlapped; that was a black stripe.

Just as quickly as it arrived it disappeared and everything returned to normal. Roman fell to his knees and Ruby dove in to catch him using only her able right arm. She tried calling out to him but he just stared at the ground, frozen in his own little world. He kept muttering to himself a single word over and over again.

“Ruth.”

It chilled her to the bone. She tried to shake and call out to him to get him to snap out of it but it did not work. Desperate she kissed him, hoping that the feeling of her love and kindness could bring him back to reality.

Suddenly he inhaled sharply and shook his head. His eyes had been brought out of the vision and back to reality. He looked over at her like it was the first time in a long while. “Ruby?”

She could not help but tear up a little. All of her fear fading into relief made her voice shake a little when she said, “Yes Roman. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that.”

Ruby was able to set him down against one of the control panels and took a seat beside him. As soon as she did though he saw what happened to her arm and started to panic. She tried to calm him down, after all her aura was healing it at an extraordinary rate, but was interrupted by a sound that came from neither one of them. Ruby and Roman looked across from where they sat to see Neo slump against one of the other panels crying. Neo’s face was flushed and turned red while she let out a sorrowful wail.

Even though Neo was trying to wipe away tears and steady her breathing she was able to type, _[You saw it didn't you?]_

Roman only looked down at the ground and muttered, “Yes.” 

_[I understand if you want to kill me. I wouldn't hold it against you. I didn't mean to kill her. I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.]_

“That's the last thing I want to do. I just need to know why. Why did you go to such extreme measures? Why did you do it? I want to hear you say it and not your memories.” 

Ruby was not going to take being left out anymore and asked, “Can either of you explain what's going on?” 

Ruby looked over at Neo who was typing away on her scroll. With a shaky hand Neo turned it around and Ruby gasped at what she saw. 

_[Ruby… My real name… is Ruth.]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Mother’s Day everybody. I hope you all liked the cliffhanger (I know I did). I would’ve posted last Sunday but that was my 18th birthday so I took the day off. Should be finishing this fanfiction within a month’s time too so hype!


	43. Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Serious violence, harm, and panic attacks are present in this chapter

Ruby did not understand. Ruth was dead. Ruth had died years ago. Her death scarred Roman for life and it was only with Ruby helping him that he was able to get past it. How was this possible?  
   
“How?” Was all Ruby was able to say.  
   
Neo just hung her head unable to face either of their gazes. _[My illusions aren't illusions. They're memories. Just like how Roman can delete memories, I can create them. I created the memory of my death all those years ago.]_  
   
A switch flipped inside Ruby. She felt herself grow hot and in a flash, she jumped forward and grabbed Neo's necklaces holding their faces inches apart. “Do you have any idea what you've done?! How much you hurt him?! How he's been in pain ever since then and was consumed by revenge?! It was because of your supposed death! He loved you and was willing to give up everything for you and THIS is how you repay him?!”  
   
_[I’m sorry! I never wanted this to happen.]_  
   
“Then why did you do it?!”  
   
Neo hesitated before typing _[I did it to save him.]_  
   
“Bullshit!” Ruby screamed before she slapped Neo, throwing her to the side a few feet.  
   
Through her heavy breathing and death glare, she felt the someone touch her shoulder. Roman said in a calming voice, “Ruby… It's alright.”  
   
Ruby spun around and brought him into a tight hug while she said, “No it's not! She's hurt you so many ways. She broke you for years. Because of her you've lived a lifetime of pain. I've spent so much time helping you, trying to have you make peace with it all, but I know it still hurts. When I see you hurting it hurts me too. How is it that any of this is alright?”  
   
Roman looked over at Neo who was getting up and rubbing the red spot on her cheek. “Neo your memories told me why you did it… But… I want to hear you say it. For my sake and Ruby’s.”  
   
_[I didn't want to. I had no choice. I couldn't think of another option. It was because of me that Roman was dying and I couldn't do anything. Roman was doing horrible things to earn enough money for me to get into school. I always appreciated it but I discovered how he was coping._  
   
_He was erasing his own memories. He was cutting himself to delete everything in the mirror practically every night. But every time he did it, it took more blood and he bled himself more and more. He was bleeding himself to death to grant me a better life._  
   
_I'm sorry I threw it all away. I’m sorry I “killed” Ruth. I'm sorry I made you suffer. I just knew that as long as you kept it up you were going to die. You're worth more to me than any amount of money or any education. I was desperate and when the attacker came I thought of a plan. I fed the attacker a funny memory and gave you the one where he killed me. I made my escape knowing that although it was going to be hard that you would live. One way or another you would live. You were always better than me at surviving._  
   
_When you found me a year later it was both a blessing and a curse. By then I was a different person but you were too. I wanted to tell you more times than I could ever count. But I saw that the only thing that kept you alive was a desire for revenge. I thought that with enough time then maybe you could heal and move on. I just thought that I'd be the one to do it though._  
   
_Please forgive me? I never meant to hurt you so much. It's just that with how many times you had protected me I knew that I had to return the favor. I know I'm an awful person. I've done so many horrible things. But please believe me when I say I'm sorry?]_  
   
Ruby looked down at the girl sitting in front of her. She looked weak and frail. Even though Ruby had felt enough rage to hit her it quickly faded away. In a way, it brought back memories of the night of Roman and her first date. The person in front of her had been broken in a similar manner. She had always believed that anyone was redeemable. If she could get Roman Torchwick to change then surely Neo could as well.  
   
Roman interrupted her thoughts by stepping forward to stand right over Neo. “I'll forgive you but only under one circumstance. You have to come with us to stop Cinder.”  
   
When Neo looked away Roman leaned down and held out his hand. “It's not too late to make things right you know.”  
   
_[I'll never be able to make things right though.]_  
   
“Neither will I. But I'll be damned if I don't spend the rest of my life trying. Please? I've lost you once, I don't want to again.”  
   
Ruby joined Roman's side and held out her hand too. “It's never too late. Everybody is redeemable. The road ahead may be hard and you may fall a few times but nobody is beyond saving. I know that for a fact.”  
   
Neo was about to type something when she sighed and put her scroll away. She accepted their hands and they helped pull her up. As soon as they did though she closed the gap between them and gave a ferocious hug. When Neo let go she still had some tears slowly leaking but she looked at both of them individually then the two of them together. She smiled and let a single word pass her lips. “Alright.”  
 

* * *

   
Ruby was genuinely surprised to hear Neo speak and was a bit more so by the coughing fit she had that made her sound like she was going to cough up a lung. But even with a single word, Ruby realized how much of a loss it was that Neo lost her voice. The best way she could describe it was shattered glass, a remnant of what was once beautiful and invaluable.  
   
She thought about this while the three of them ran to the engine rooms where the EMP was being stored. Apparently, the controls were shattered in the crash but it could still be fired manually. Even with the map, they encountered several obstacles that included a random dead end that was not supposed to be there to patrolling Atlesian Knights that had to be cut down.  
   
When they finally made it to the engine room Ruby realized how large it was. There were about three stories of winding hallways, ramps and rooms holding all kinds of advanced looking equipment. Roman scanned the room and ran towards a peculiar looking machine that looked a bit out of place but still had a working screen. It was towards the center of the vast room and looked very intact. As soon as Roman ran towards it though he was stopped in his tracks by a large ball of flame consuming the area right in front of him.  
   
“Where do you think you're going?” Cooed Cinder who stepped out of a corridor a few floors above.  
   
“He was going to do what I told him to.” They heard another voice say from across the room. Directly opposite of where they entered lay another corridor. Stepping out of it was a cool and composed Ozpin armed with his cane. “You, on the other hand, were just leaving.”  
   
Cinder lost complete interest in the three of them and gave her full attention to Ozpin. “Oh Ozzy. I never expected you to show. I thought you forgot about little old me.”  
   
He only chuckled. “I could never forget you, my old dear. But I'm surprised by your name change. Cinder isn't it? Whatever happened to Nyx, Persephone, Freyja, or Nephthys?”  
   
“I like to change my name at the dawn of every century. They all get a little old after a while. I'm surprised you haven't done the same.”  
   
“I haven't because I never brought strife to my name. I least I try to keep some honor and dignity to mine.”  
   
Cinder only laughed a sickening laugh that made Ruby feel sick to her stomach. Roman, Neo and her were all frozen watching the scene in front of them unfold.  
   
“Why can't you see the hollowness of your lies? Why can't you see that humanity must die? We destroyed our own galaxy in a meaningless war. Yet you brought people here! You experimented on us! Gave us semblances and created the faunus.” She spat. “You should have let us all die.”  
   
“I only did what I had to. While I agree that man is a vile species, as long as there is good in our hearts then there is a possibility for a better future. The faunus were not intended but they are no less of a person than all of us. Semblances were created to give us a chance to fight back against this planet’s native inhabitants, the Grimm. I never expected any to become so powerful.”  
   
The two of them then turned to face Ruby, Roman, and Neo as if they just remembered that the three of them were standing there. While Ruby was still trying to make sense of what she heard, Ozpin faced her and smiled.  
   
“Don't fret too much over what we're discussing Ms. Rose. I'm just an old man who can control the effects of time on my body-”  
   
In a blink of an eye, he was right behind Cinder and held his cane against her neck holding her next to him.  
   
“-and a distraction against a semblance stealing anarchist who thinks that the stolen semblance of eternal youth grants her divinity.  
   
The fight began and left Ruby very little time to think about anything but her main objective: protecting Roman. He was able to make it to the machine and began typing away trying to find some way to neutralize the virus and fire the blast within their time limit. Meanwhile Ruby and Neo spent their time trying to protect him in any way possible. Knights started streaming constantly out of the many doors into the room that had to be taken care of. Ruby had to fight off these attacking Knights, flying debris from what seemed to be a never-ending stream of explosions and loose projectiles that Cinder was somehow able to fire off that Ozpin was not able to stop. Which considering how fast the couple was moving and how every collision rocked the ship with a surge of power Ruby understood that he would miss a few.  
   
In the little time Ruby had to look upon the fight between Cinder and Ozpin, she now understood why Roman treated Cinder like a god. So many semblances were being used at the same time to give her incredible speed, defenses, and attacks but what was most impressive was how Ozpin was able to stay even with her. No matter what she threw at him they stayed at par. Her respect of Ozpin increased tenfold as the fight she saw before her was more intense than anything she thought she would ever see.  
   
This went on for several minutes which had left Ruby feeling exhausted by the never-ending task in front of her. In a short second break, she yelled behind her, “Roman type faster!”  
   
“I'm going as fast as I can!”  
   
“We please hurry! I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!”  
   
Just then Ruby had the misfortune to fire her scythe to find it click empty. Reaching towards her belt she found no more cartridges. Ruby groaned and then began adjusting her strategy to accommodate. Now she had to use her semblance in brief bursts to run forward and destroy some Knights before jolting backwards to keep Roman safe.  
   
She could tell that the fight between Ozpin and Cinder was getting more and more intense by the second. Enough power was being emitted that cracks began to form on the floors, ceilings and walls. But they cracked with such force that it was like space itself was rippling and would break anything in its wake. Ruby found this out when a shockwave knocked her off balance and made her fall. Her scythe fell forward and landed right in the wake of the ripples. She stared at the crack as it not only ripped through the ground but her weapon as well, breaking her greatest work into five useless pieces.  
   
Ruby got back up and looked around for anything else to use to deflect projectiles but found nothing. Looking over to check if Roman was alright her heart dropped. Cinder was losing her duel but was determined not to lose this war. Cinder was able to form her bow and arrow and fired at Roman.  
   
Time slowed to a near standstill. Ruby’s heartbeat spiked and she looked around for something to grab. There was nothing she could use and Neo was on the far side of the room, unable to get to him if she tried. If she pushed him out of the way then the EMP would be hit and their mission would be a failure. A cold realization came upon Ruby at that moment. There was, in fact, one thing she could do.  
   
She sprinted forward using every scrap of energy she had combined with her semblance. When she stopped a few feet in front of Roman she saw the arrow speeding its way towards her. She took less than a second to look back at Roman typing away trying to save everyone and smiled. She turned back around to face the projectile knowing that she may have just seen him for the last time. She outstretched her arms and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath in those last few milliseconds she made peace with herself and the possible consequences. She knew very well what she was doing.  
   
She felt no pain, although whether that was good or bad she did not know. A large force collided with her stomach sending her flying backwards into Roman. Ruby’s eyes burst open and she stared straight up at the ceiling.  
   
“RUBY!!” She heard Roman bellow from behind her. That's when she first felt pain. Not from the injury but from the realization of how much Roman must hurt seeing this happen.  
   
“JUGST KSEETP TIYPINMG!” She heard Neo scream in her shattered voice. Next thing she knew Neo was by her side trying to apply pressure to the wound. She could see Neo crying and coughing up blood from her damaged throat and Roman going back to finishing his task. Come to think of it what was his task again?  
   
Her mind felt fuzzy and she could not concentrate on anything. She felt cold and wet like she was lying in the snow. She blinked a few times and then was able to focus her attention on Neo. But she could not hear her.  
   
In fact, the entire world seemed to have gone silent. There was no explosions or gunfire. Just complete silence.  
   
Ruby could not describe what happened next except that it felt like a surge of energy flowed in and out of her. At that point, all the lights shut off but she could still see with the light emitted from Ozpin’s continuing fight with Cinder. Her eyes were beginning to adjust and she could see Roman come to her side. He was crying and looked like he was screaming something that she could not hear.  
   
She felt the vague sensation of being brought into his arms and was lifted some so that she could look right into his face. She could see the pain spread across it and that made her feel bad about what she had done but she still did not regret it. She slowly rose her hand to cup his cheek and gently wipe away a tear.  
   
Memories flashed before her eyes. They ranged back from when she was a child up til now. There were some good and some bad but what stood out the most was the happy ones. Every precious second she spent with Roman was the greatest moment of her life. She could not think of a time in her life that she had been happier. When the memories ended so too did her sight.  
   
Her only thought was that while she wished to spend more time with him she was grateful for the moments they shared together. Keeping this in mind she was able to garner up enough strength to say something. She could not hear it but from the feeling in her throat and the movement in her lips, she knew that she was able to say it.  
   
“Roman, I love you.”  
   
The last thing that registered to her before unconsciousness took her was the sensation of her arm falling limp and the scent of fire and smoke in the air. But somewhere, she could make out the faint hint of cinnamon and the fleeting feeling of a hand holding her own.  
 

* * *

   
When Ruby woke up the first thing she noticed was the lemony scent. Everything smelled clean, almost sickly so. She could hear a steady beeping noise in the background that sounded like a heart monitor. There were the odd background noises that she recognized from when she talked with Roman in the hospital. That meant that she was alive which was welcome but surprising.  
   
But something was wrong. She could not move. She could hear, smell and feel but could not move a muscle. She could not even open her eyes to look outwards. Her body felt completely numb except for an ache in both her head and her stomach.  
   
Her ears picked up the sound of someone walking closer. She began to panic; if someone was there then they could do anything to her and she would not be able to say or do anything. She felt someone gently caress her hand and she could tell immediately who it was before they even spoke.  
   
Her heartbeat monitor started beeping more slowly as she was soothed by his touch. She could hear him breathe a sigh of relief. Roman squeezed her hand and said, “I don't know if you can hear me but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”  
   
His voice was cracking and it sounded like he had been crying for quite some time. It almost hurt to hear him talk. He sniffled a few times before he said, “This is all my fault. If only I was able to figure things out sooner. If I had never been the coward I was then I could've prevented all of this. I'm sorry.”  
   
She could not speak but she tried thinking hard enough that he might be able to hear her. She knew it was impossible but she still tried. _“Roman please don't blame yourself. If I could go back I'd do it again. You deserve to live and I can't imagine a world without you.”_  
   
“I try to tell myself to look at the bright side. I know it's what you would want me to do. So ‘yay’ we did it. We saved Vale. But I was unable to save you.”  
   
Ruby thought about that for a minute. If what he said was true then she would probably be looked at as a hero but she never wanted that. The real reason as to why she did it was because she loved him. She was willing to die for him.  
   
“But honestly that's the only positive. So much has gone wrong, so much has failed, and so many lives have been lost. Ruby… I'm sorry that I couldn't give you the life you wanted.”  
   
_“But you already have.”_  
   
“We're not getting pardoned. We're not safe. We're not free. We're not going to be able to live the lives we wanted.” He said breaking into a soft cry.  
   
Ruby let that sink in. They're not getting pardoned? How much went wrong to get to this? Ozpin promised them. What happened?  
   
When he was able to calm himself down he spoke up again. “But I'm going to fix this. I promise you I will make things right for us. I pulled a few strings and I was able to free you.”  
   
_“Wait? What about you? What happened?!”_  
   
Ruby then heard someone else say in a stern voice. “Sir you have a minute left.”  
   
“DON'T YOU THINK I'M AWARE OF THAT!” Roman screamed. He sounded scared before all else.  
   
Ruby felt something cold press up against the side of her head. The stern voice said, “Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. I have orders to kill the girl if you resist.”  
   
When the gun was removed from her head Roman's only response was to mutter, “I know.”  
   
Suddenly she felt his hand squeeze hers tight enough that it hurt. She could hear him get close enough to whisper. “I'm not allowed to stay here any longer. I have to go… For an awfully long time. But you'll see me again. I promise you that when we see each other again I'm going to wrap you up in the biggest hug you've ever had and nobody's going to tear us apart. But until that day I'm going to be gone. I need you to promise me something until we see each other again.”  
   
_“What?”_ She was afraid to think.  
   
“Don't wait for me? Please? I know it's hard and I feel like I'm being torn apart even saying this but please don't wait on me?”  
   
“Sir, your time is up.” The stern voice said.  
   
“It's time for me to go then. Words cannot express how sorry I am. I love you.” Roman said as his grip on her hand tightened and then eased away.  
   
_“I love you too. Please don't go. I don't want you to go. Roman! Please come back! Roman! ROMAN!”_  
   
Suddenly she started to feel very sleepy. Then she realized that she must have received a new dose of pain medicine. But she did not want to go to sleep yet. She wanted to be able to move. She wanted to be able to open her mouth to tell him to stop. She wanted to at least be able to open her eyes to see him go. None of these silent wishes were granted as she felt herself succumb to the drugs.  
 

* * *

   
Ruby woke up again but this time her eyes crept open. Her entire body felt weak and sore but she could move to bring her arm up to cover a cough. When she did though the entire room sprung into commotion. She could hear so many voices of joy that it all seemed like one intangible mess. Someone did something to her bed and she felt it raising her back so she could sit up and see her guests.  
   
Everybody was there. Her team, JNPR, Uncle Qrow, and even her father were all there crowding around her bed. Even though they were all expressing their concerns over her they were all smiling. Seeing all of their smiles brought out one of her own.  
   
Something felt wrong though. Before she could figure out what it was her father put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You're a hero. You saved everybody.”  
   
Ruby thought about that for a second. She had to admit, “Yeah… I guess I did.”  
   
“You blocked the control panel to the EMP with yourself to protect everyone and still had enough strength to detonate it. That was very brave of you.” Taiyang said with pride.  
   
This made her do a double take. “What? That's not what happened.”  
   
“Of course it is.”  
   
Red flags were waving and sirens were going off inside her head. “No, seriously I didn't do that. What happened was-”  
   
“Listen you just woke up so give yourself some time. Not all the memories will come back immediately.”  
   
“But-”  
   
“Hey, it's alright. You're safe now.”  
   
Before she could say another word she noticed the TV playing in the background.  
   
It was a grizzly sight. The flagship had exploded and was in ruins with smoke coming from its center. The EMP shut off the engine’s failsafe and it overloaded with an explosion. The reporter said that nobody was hurt in the blast but the cleanup crew found the remains of Headmaster Ozpin and a black haired woman with hazel eyes, later identified as Cinder Fall.  
   
It then switched to an interview between Ironwood and Lisa Lavender. Ironwood was currently speaking.  
   
_“Due to the recent terrorist attack on the kingdom of Vale and the world, I have made it my goal to hunt down the mastermind behind it all and bring them to justice. Such an attack is unthinkable and I have removed all possibilities of something like this happening again. No longer shall automatons be used in combat. But fortunately, we have already apprehended the maniac behind it all.”_  
   
_“You have already caught the mastermind behind all of this?!_  
   
_“Indeed, Ms. Lavender. All evidence that we've found has led to no other than the infamous Roman Torchwick. The only positive to come from this tragedy is that he left behind enough evidence to track his location. The brave men of the Atlas military took him into custody and brought him before me. While reading off what he was going to be charged with he attempted to escape and force had to be used. I was forced to shoot him myself and he quickly succumbed to his injuries. Mr. Torchwick was pronounced dead earlier this morning. Also, I have reports of a coup in Mistral and that they have become enemies of the free world under their leader, Adam Taurus-”_  
   
Ruby did not hear the rest. She froze. She could not breathe. She could not feel. Her entire body stiffened and felt numb.  
   
Her father rested a hand on her shoulder and that's when she snapped. She slapped his hand away and stunned the room into silence. All she could hear was her heartbeat pounding in her ears. When her face scrunched up as she let out her first cry the occupants of the room went into a panic.  
   
Over all of them voicing their concerns they could not hear her say, “Go…”  
   
When they did not do as she told them to she rose her voice and said, “Just leave… Please…”  
   
They never heard her until her mental restraints collapsed. “I SAID GO! ALL OF YOU! GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE!” She screamed.  
   
She could see through her blurry eyes the pain on their faces but they all stopped talking and slowly left the room to respect her wishes. When they were all gone she looked down at herself. What stood out was her necklace. Her rose necklace still hung from her neck. She grasped it lightly and brushed her fingers across the cool metal. She remembered what he had said to her before. He promised her. He promised her that he would come back.  
   
This had to be a dream. This could not be real. She had to wake up. She had to find a way to wake up. She took a hold of her necklace and clasped it as hard as she could. She could feel it digging into her skin but she had yet to wake up. She held it harder and harder but nothing. Even when it cut through skin and muscle and blood dripped down the surface of it, she was still stuck in reality.  
   
At one point someone peeked in and then they ran through the door again. Seeing what she was doing the rushed to her to push her down. She resisted as much as she could but not because she wanted to. When she felt the prick in her neck she knew that she was going to be unconscious, just what she wanted. Before she was out a thought kept running through her head.  
   
_He's not coming back._  
   
_He's not coming back._  
   
_He's not coming back._  
   
She hoped that something went wrong with the sedation so that she too would not come back.


	44. Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three years later

Ruby loaded a fresh cartridge into her scythe and cocked it. She turned around to view the rest of her team doing the same with their assorted weapons. In the dim lights, she could make out each of their frames. She did not need to see their faces to know how they felt about this. She was anxious herself. This was their last mission of the White Fang war. One mission to end them all.

Each of them had been through so much. She could not look at any of them the same way anymore. Ruby had to watch them each go through their own personal suffering of losing something. Weiss lost Winter to an assassin. Blake had to kill countless faunus, including former friends. Yang lost her arm when taking a shotgun shell to save her girlfriend Neo. She never understood how those two became a couple but they were good for each other.

Her mind drifted back to Pyrrha who arguably got the worst of it all. Poor, poor Pyrrha. About midway through the war, she ended up marrying Jaune. The two of them had always done everything together and wanted to ensure that it would be that way for the rest of their lives. But when Jaune took mercy on a child member of the White Fang they stabbed him in the back. Pyrrha arrived just in time to see him die. She never got to tell him that she was pregnant. 

Ruby looked down at her feet knowing that she did not come out unscathed either. She had made peace with everything that had happened in the last three years but she was not stupid. She knew that she was not the same. She knew that there were wounds time could not heal. Her team looks at her with faces of regret and pity. But what they could not understand was that she made herself strong. Or at least she convinced herself she was. 

So what if she became cold? So what if she became unforgiving? So what if she became numb to all feelings and emotion, nothing more than a ruthless killing machine brought before the enemy to decimate them? That's what she trained for, right? That's what she was supposed to be.

Her friends and family wanted to do everything they could to end her pain. She found her own way to do just that. If you cut off everything that hurts, then you don't feel pain anymore. Although, it was difficult to have to remove all mirrors in her room. Whenever she looked at one she no longer saw her eyes, instead the eyes of her father and Roman.

In fact, she still held a fiery grudge against Ironwood for doing what he did. Ruby refused to join the war for the longest time because he was leading the fight against the White Fang. It was not until Jaune died and Pyrrha's mind shattered that Ruby saw what the White Fang could do. So reluctantly, she chose the lesser of two evils. 

The sound of the doors of the bullhead opening brought her back to reality. From here she could see the explosions and fires erupting all over Mistral. When the bullhead reached the capitol building it began its slow descent.

Yelling over the engines Ruby said, “Blake are you sure you can do this? This isn't just another lieutenant. I know you used to have something with Adam.”

Blake turned around and the pain was very evident on her face. “The Adam I knew is gone now. He must reap what he's sown and accept that he's lost.”

“Yes but this mission has the possibility to end the war we've been fighting for the past three years. We can't allow screw ups. If I tell you to kill him, could you do it?”

Blake took a small pause but responded with a confident, “Yes.”

Just then the bullhead landed in the courtyard. Ruby walked out in front of her team and extended her double sided scythe, Crescent Thorn, out behind her. Yelling over her shoulder she said, “Good. I know this isn't gonna be easy but after this, it'll all be over. You all know what to do. Let's raise some hell.”

With that Ruby sped off using short bursts of her semblance to cut down any White Fang guards in the way. Between her taking out their rear and her team taking care of the front the courtyard was clear within a minute. 

Together they all ran inside. There was a large courtroom that held many seats as well as a second viewing floor and a balcony above. But what stood out most was the White Fang banner hanging behind the judge’s seat with no other than Adam sitting back in it with his feet resting on the edge. 

“I thought I told the men up front to keep you all out.” He muttered.

“Sorry to break it to you bud but they're all gone. You will be too if you don't surrender.” Yang chimed.

Adam only scoffed and opened his mouth to speak but Blake beat him to it. She jumped in front of her team and pleaded, “Please just surrender and come with us? If you do so peacefully we could work something out. I'd be willing to vouch for you so-”

“NO!” He shouted sitting up from his chair. “I started a revolution! As long as I live then it will live on!”

“That can be fixed rather quickly,” Weiss muttered.

“You started a war!” Blake yelled back to him.

“I started a freedom movement!”

“You started a genocide!”

Ruby’s attention drifted elsewhere. She swore that she had the feeling of being watched. Her grip on her scythe tightened and she began looking everywhere for the source. Her ears detected the sound of footsteps coming from above the balcony. While she concentrated on that, the rest of the occupants began to hear it as well and give it their attention. Eventually, a voice rang out, one that chilled Ruby to the bone. It could not be possible.

“It's been three years my friend. Three motherfucking years I've spent searching and hunting your scrawny little ass. It's because of you I've had to hurt so many people. Little Johnny Iron-dick won't let me stop until you're dead. I've been stripped of my possessions, my humanity, and everyone I hold dear. But now that you're here I can go home. I can finally go home and make peace. 

So if you don't mind, could you do me a favor and put your head on a silver platter for me. It’d really make my day.” 

With that, he walked up to the edge of the balcony for all to see. His hair may have been messy and his clothes may have been torn and ripped but it was him. Somehow it was him. Roman Torchwick.

Ruby gasped. Her skin became covered in goosebumps, the air felt like it dropped to mid-winter temperatures. Her heart rate quickened and she felt a lump get caught in her throat. 

In a flash of anger, Ruby let out a battle cry and used her semblance to get up onto the balcony where she drop kicked Roman. He flew backward and landed slumped against a wall but Ruby wasted no time getting back up on her feet. In a flash, she landed the edge of her scythe’s blade against his throat. 

She could not describe her emotions. Anger, sadness, pain, relief, and joy all combined at once and left her nothing but a rambling and crying mess. Part of her wanted to kill him, another kiss him, and another to just leave him there forever.

When he rose his head to look her in the eyes she gasped once more. They looked like those of a dead man walking. But as soon as he saw her that disappeared. Only happiness and love could be found. A smile slowly crept on his lips that could only be described by that of a young boy who finally found what was most dear to him. He only muttered two words: “You're alive.”

Next thing she knew, she was being given one of the largest hugs she had ever had. She dropped her weapon and froze in place. It felt odd. Not uncomfortable or bad just odd. She could not really describe it but it felt good. It was like she was in a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace on a winter’s night. It was like just waking up and knowing that she could remain in bed and have a lazy morning. It was like she was home safe and sound. 

“I'm so sorry! I never wanted this to happen but you're alive! You're actually alive!” He yelled while sounding like he was fighting back tears. 

Just as quickly as the embrace started it ended with him pushing the two of them to the floor. A bullet hole was left in the wall behind them right where the two of them were standing. Roman quickly got up, extended his hand, and said, “Well now I say that's our cue to get moving. Besides I've almost died on you enough times I'm not going to let a measly bullet end it all.”

Ruby took his hand with some reluctance and wary and said, “We're not through here though. I have some choice words for you.”

After he pulled her up he gave her a quick pat on the back and said, “Of that I have no doubt. But in the meantime let's finish this now shall we?”

Ruby with an overall sense of numbness from disbelief grabbed her weapon and joined in on the skirmish that apparently had been going on for a good minute already. Weiss and Yang were busy dealing with the large amount of White Fang grunts that kept pouring in leaving Blake to fight off Adam alone. Ruby saw that Blake was losing and joined in on the attack on Adam. 

She jumped down into the fray with her target in sight. She ran forward and curved away so that Blake and her would strike Adam at the exact same time and from different directions. Adam threw up Wilt and Blush on opposite sides to block both their attacks. Just before all their weapons made contact Ruby smiled at the familiar sound of whistling flying through the air like what she expected would happen. Just when everything came into contact, so too did Roman's explosive round hit Adam square in the chest sending him flying backward. 

Ruby retreated to form a new strategy. When she saw Roman jump down and join the fight she came up with one. She started running around in circles around their fight, separating them from anyone who might intervene by an air tunnel. She would wait until both Roman and Blake, who fought surprisingly well together, distracted Adam enough to land a hit. She could not do too much more than leave scratches or else risking serious injuries from either of his weapons. 

Ruby was more surprised by Roman’s tricks up his sleeve than any other part of the duel. She never knew that he could use his rounds to blast him into the air, although he did so less than gracefully. He could also spread the congregated dust into a spray with the hand of his cane. At one point he even latched onto her cloak that she wore as a scarf now and used her constant movement as a chance to land a few free shots. It gave him the agility to keep pace with Blake and with the two of them combined they were stalemating with Adam.

All and all Adam was losing but slowly, much too slowly for comfort. She knew of Adam’s semblance and was concerned as to when he would finally use it. Knowing that it surely was coming soon she slowed down enough to to be heard and yelled out to Weiss and Yang, who were still taking care of a never ending stream of grunts, to duck. When she turned back to the main fight she gasped. Adam had activated his semblance the very second she looked away. His slice cut the air in all directions and she could see it flying towards her. 

She became distracted enough that one of the grunts landed a hit on her leg. Due to her velocity, she was sent flying unable to move properly to duck the cut in the air flying towards her. Before it collided with her she saw a blur of orange in the way of her trajectory. Unable to move, she collided with it but it pulled her down out of the way. 

Feeling the shockwave of the cut air fly past she looked to see that it was, in fact, Roman she hit. He had put her beneath him to block any chance of her getting hit. But in the process, he did not escape unscathed. Her inertia knocked him just high enough into the air that she saw the slice of energy pass through his leg, just under his right knee. 

When the two of them finally landed Ruby was horrified. She quickly pushed him off of her with no resistance. Getting up she saw where his ruby red aura was trying to seal up the wound. Trying to stay calm she cupped his face to look at her. His only response was slurred like he was drunk. “Hey Rrrruby. Haven't seeeen you in whiiiiiile.”

“You lost a leg.” She could barely whisper.

In his drunken state from the pain, he looked down at his body and jumped a little to find out that she was right. “Wheeeeelp. That'll put a damper on my day.”

Before Ruby could come up with a smart remark to that she felt a wave of rage hit her. “Hold that thought.” She growled through grinding teeth. She turned on her heel and rejoined the attack on Adam. 

There was no holding back. She sped forward with her semblance and collided her scythe with his sword at such a speed it sent out a shockwave that even pushed Blake out of the fight. She swung her scythe back and forth over and over again, each harder than the last. Every hit seemed to enrage her further. At a certain point, she was furious simply because he would not die and she could not hear his screams or feel her scythe cut through flesh and bone. 

“This one is for Jaune. This one is for Pyrrha. This one is for Winter, Neo, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ren, Nora, Sun, Neptune, Sage, Scarlet, Coco, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, Fox, Ozpin…”

She credited each strike with someone impacted by the war. She listed off hundreds of names of those she met and were hurt or killed by the war. Each and every one of them got their own individual attack. Every slice grew faster and faster until at last, she broke the sound barrier with “...And this one's for Roman!”

Adam’s sword and sheath snapped in half right before him. He stood there stunned that someone like her, a mere human, could destroy one of the greatest weapons ever forged.

Ruby looked straight at him through his mask and saw the fear in his eyes. She grinned and raised her scythe once more. “And this one is for m-”

“Me.” She heard Blake say behind Adam. A black sword then sprouted from his chest. “This one is for me,” Blake repeated.

Ruby seeing that the situation was being taken care of turned around and saw all the White Fang grunts running away at the sight of their leader. She would let them go, after all, they did what they came here for. She then remembered Roman and her cool composition dropped.

Running back towards where he lay she saw him still barely conscious and still loopy like he was drunk. She did not understand why she felt so scared. She had seen plenty of gruesome deaths and injuries before but now all her knowledge failed her. She felt like a child again, unable to do anything and subject to the hard whims of the world. Feebly, she tried taking his removed leg and pressing it up against his stub in hope that it would magically fuse together.

But then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The air smelled like ash and blood, two things she had grown far too used to knowing. Nonetheless, it reminded her that this was battle and in battle, one's emotions could destroy everything. She was strong enough to still her fear.

Ruby then got up and slung a very loopy Roman over her shoulder and turned towards the exit. The building was damaged and look like it could fall so she made her way out with her team close behind. Yang and Weiss followed her but Blake remained. Turning around to check on her Ruby gave Blake her moment before she returned to her team. 

Blake had removed her blade and was now kneeling holding Adam up in her arms. He had brought his hand up and cupped her face wiping away a tear. His arm then fell limp and he was gone. Blake solemnly closed his eyes and kissed his forehead before leaving him to his eternal rest.

With a red flare, they signaled their escort bullhead. They all hopped inside and it shot off to their base a few miles out. Once out of the city-state they all simultaneously exhaled knowing that they could put their guard down. They were safe and their mission complete. All of Ruby’s team sat except her who gave Roman her seat. Of course, all of them were staring at the unexpected guest. 

His ruby red aura had sealed up the wound but Ruby still took the bottom of her cloak and ripped it off to bandage it. Meanwhile, her team watched in wonder of either his existence or her so casually ripping her favorite article of clothing for him. 

Breaking the silence Yang sat there dumbfounded and bluntly stated the obvious. “His leg is gone.” 

He stirred for the first time on the bullhead and muttered just loud enough to hear “Tis but a flesh wound. I've been through worse.”

Blake, sounding like she was on the verge of tears from the fight they just finished, asked, “What could've possibly been worse than all of this?” 

Just before he slipped into unconsciousness he muttered, “I left Ruby.”

Ruby after tightening the bandage looked up at him and then at her team. She sighed and whispered, “This complicates things.”

* * *

Ruby watched diligently and waited until the last doctor left before she said anything. When he did she took her chair from the back of the room and sat down next to Roman’s bed on his right side. Now she was able to get a close-up look at him. He looked paler and thinner than she last remembered as well as having a few more scars. He had bags under his eyes which also suggested a lack of sleep. Yet through all this, he kept looking at her with a smile.

Her first sense of anger and joy had faded leaving her back into the emotionless state that she now considered normal. With only curiosity left on her mind, she said, “Would you like to explain yourself?”

He only sighed and looked down. “Does it make it any better that I never wanted to leave?”

“You still did.” She said crossing her arms.

“Has anyone told you what really happened that day?”

“What do you mean?”

“After you were shot, Neo and I rushed to get you help but you started losing too much blood and we couldn't move you anymore. Neo ran ahead to get somebody to help and I stayed back to guard you. It wasn't long until someone found us but it wasn't Neo. It was Ironwood. He shot me once to stop me from moving and when he pressed a gun to my head, he told me to tell him one reason not to kill me. 

I said the first thing that came to mind. I told him that I would do anything to save you. So he offered up a deal. He would promise to save your life and keep you out of harm's way in exchange for my freedom. I became a black ops soldier who had to do whatever he was told no matter what it was. The two conditions were that I could never see you and if I disobeyed then he'd kill you. 

When I looked over at you lying on the ground there was so much blood, so much blood. All I could think about was the possibility of you never waking up again. At that moment I knew what I had to do, even if I hated it with every fiber of my being. Neo never made it back in time before I had agreed. She finally returned just in time to see me getting carried away and you get put on a stretcher. To this day I don't know if she's alive.”

“She is. She's somewhere here, likely with Yang. Their relationship was rough at first but they've hit it off pretty well.”

Roman rested his head back and breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I'm happy for her. She's always had something for that sister of yours. Wait, if you've seen her then why did she never tell you?”

Ruby looked away in shame and regret. “I wasn't in the best of shape after I woke up. She checked up on me after a few days to catch up but I snapped at her. I was hurt and I blamed her for hurting you when you were a kid. She tried to reason with me but I yelled at her and told her I never wanted to speak to her again. We've never talked since.”

“Oh.” 

Ruby going back to the original topic asked, “So you became a slave to keep me alive?”

Something flashed in his eyes although whether it was anger, frustration, fear, or a mix of them she did not know. “You don't understand. I thought you were going to die. I was more scared in that moment than I had ever been in my entire life. I was desperate. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died. You were the greatest thing to ever happen to me. You were everything to me. You still are everything to me. I was willing to do anything, anything to keep you alive.”

There was a long pause before Ruby said, “Even if it meant letting me go?”

“Yes… Even if it meant that…”

She sighed knowing that what she was about to say may hurt but it was time to let out what she had kept pent up for years. “I'm not going to sugar coat this. What you did, no matter how honorable your intentions were at the time, was wrong. I know you wanted to save my life but I'm sure that I could've held out long enough for help. Besides, even if I didn't I would have preferred it that way. How I felt for a good year after I believed that you were dead made me wish that I had died from that arrow. Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering I went through because of you?!”

“I can only imagine.” He said solemnly.

“It's not like you were just some random person on the street. You were everything to me and I was shattered when you left. It's not like I could just get over it after a little bit. Hell, I'm still not over it. I can't open up to anybody because then I'm afraid they'll die like you did. Do you have any idea how many times I was so close to moving on only for some small little thing to remind me of you and send me into relapse? I loved you for crying out loud!”

He froze. She could see the guilt lingering in his eyes even though he tried to avoid her accusatory gaze. “You used past tense.” 

“I thought you were dead. You can't blame me for abandoning my feelings for you.” She said with a colder tone than she intended.

“I don't.” He muttered.

An awkward silence encompassed the two of them. Ruby took a minute to silently fume to herself and cool down a bit. When she felt normal again she asked “Do you still have feelings for me? After all this time?”

“I still love you, yes.”

She did not want to think about what that meant for the future of them. Things were confusing as it was and she had the notion that she should push him far away as possible but yet also welcome him with open arms. It was starting to give her a headache. She looked down but her eyes got caught on something. He was still wearing his glove on his right hand but was also in a hospital gown.

“Why are you wearing a glove?”

If he was hurt from her seemingly ignoring his confession of love he did not show it. “I always have. It's just kind of my thing.”

“I know that but you're in the hospital. Shouldn't you have taken it off by now? I mean you're not wearing one on your left hand.”

He sighed and said, “If you really want to see why I keep it on then here.” He rolled up his right arm sleeve to reveal a bar of metal with countless wires being held against it by metal rings and a hinge for an elbow. It went all the way up to his shoulder where it fused with his skin. Finally taking the glove off he revealed a metallic hand with gears and wires where his joints should be.

“What happened?” She whispered.

“I ran into some trouble a while back. When every mission you're sent on has the full intent of killing you then you can't leave without a few bumps and bruises.”

“Or losing a full arm?”

“That too. You know at this rate I'll be more machine than man before you know it.” He said with a weak laugh.

Ruby could see past that though. She could see how he really felt about losing his appendage and coming back only to be shot down by the one he was fighting for. It's not like he could blame her though. His “death” was something that she was still recovering from and she did not know if she could trust anyone that way again. 

“Why do you where your hood like that?” He asked softly, snapping her back to the present.

She looked down at her neck to see it wrapped around her neck like a scarf with her insignia in silver present on the right side. She knew what lay behind it. She looked him in the eyes and loosened the cloak letting it fall into her hands. She saw his eyes go wide and then look right into hers. “You still wear it.” He muttered.

She looked down at the blood encrusted jewelry that was her necklace. The silver was corroded and covered with a thin layer of dried blood left on for so long it left a permanent stain. In the center, one could make out a small ruby that marked the center of a once beautiful rose.

“Why is it like that?” He whispered as if he did not really want to know the answer.

She said in a monotone voice “When I found out that you were ‘dead’ I tried to wake myself up.” She held up her hand and showed the heavy scars at the base of each finger. “I gave up when I reached bone.” 

He brought his live hand up to hide his face but it could not hide the teardrops landing on his gown or his raspy breathing. She could barely hear him whisper “I-I-I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I just wanted the two of us to live happily with each other. I'm so much of a failure that even though I saved you I condemned you to suffer. I won't blame you if you never want to see me again.”

She thought about that for a moment, never seeing him again. That is what she had believed the rest of her life would have been until today. Yet the concept seemed unthinkable. The idea of him leaving again hurt like someone was cutting her open. She questioned herself as to why would that hurt so much if she no longer felt anything for him. She reminded herself of her erasing everything from that time period but memories.

But that did not remove their history together. Now that he was here in front of her, she could look back on their brief time together without feeling remorse or guilt. She closed her eyes and smiled. She remembered every precious memory. Even now those were still the happiest moments of her life. Maybe it was about time she opened up some and made some new ones.

This time was going to be different though. She was no longer such the impressionable child anymore. Even while she missed those good times that did not change that all her feelings for him were gone. But should a time come that they return, she would love nothing more than to act upon them.

She slowly reached out and held his prosthetic hand, intertwining her fingers with his. He let out a gasp and slowly looked down at where his hand was being held. She could hear the gears twisting and turning as he closed his fingers to complete the hold. It was strange, even though his hand was now metal and lifeless, it still held a remnant of the familiar warmth it once had.

When Ruby found her voice she said “I accept your feelings for me but know that I've moved on. But just because I don't feel that way for you anymore doesn't mean I want you to leave my life. I hope that we can still be great friends. And should a day come, and it may never will, that I feel something towards you like how I used to then I'll let you know. You'll be the first to know. Okay?”

After a sniffle and wiping his eyes he looked right at her and a wonderful smile sprung onto his face. “Okay.”

She could not help but return the smile to say “I did miss you, you know.”

“I missed you too.”

She looked down at his hand still interlocked with hers. This was not the ending she was expecting but she would welcome it wholeheartedly. In a way, it felt like a new beginning. The damage had been done and scars were made but now the fight was over. Now was the time to heal and laugh and cry. Things would still be difficult and she had no doubt that plenty of hardships lay ahead but it was okay. It was not perfect but nothing ever was. A small chuckle left her lips. Perhaps this will not be too bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One more chapter left to go! It won't disappoint!


	45. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twenty-five years later

Roman spun around in his chair and looked out the floor to ceiling window behind his desk. He was in a rather small office that was painted and decorated in every shade of red from when his wife used to have his current job. Throughout the window, he could see the lights of New Vale lighting up the night. It swelled his heart with pride to know how he was able to help shape the world into a better one.

Knowing he could not be distracted from his job, he turned back around to face the pile of paperwork he had lying on his desk. He sighed heavily and then took a sip of his mug off coffee before he started getting back to work. 

As soon as he started he stopped again. He was antsy. This was not the first time he procrastinated his work and he knew it would not be the last. He looked around at the few bookcases and found nothing that he had not read before. His attention drifted back to his desk but drifted over every square inch of it that was not covered in paperwork. In a small corner, he picked at the red paint to reveal the green layer lying underneath. He may not have known Glynda but in time he respected her greatly. He felt unworthy to be sitting in the same seat she once did. 

Near the edge of the desk held a wide array of photos that made him feel wonderfully nostalgic. He first looked at the photo of his wedding day with a smile. Ruby had worn a beautiful dress the same color as her namesake. It may have taken a few years but he had been more than willing to wait. Their love when it was rekindled again grew almost agonizingly slow but eventually became so much more than they ever could have imagined. To finally be able to hold her in his arms and be able to call her the one was well worth it. He did not care if he had to keep his existence hidden to the world to keep “Torchwick” dead. He was perfectly happy being “Roman Rose”. 

His eyes drifted over to the next photo. It showed him standing next to Ruby with their two-year-old twin son and daughter with their lovely little cottage in the background. He could not help but chuckle a little. Even back then he knew that Summer would look just like her mother. There was something about those Roses and creating carbon copies of themselves. Looking at Augustus made his smile disappear though. “Everything was so happy and carefree then, wasn't it?” He muttered to himself.

The rest of the photos showed Augustus and Summer as they grew up. It hurt some as he drifted over photos where for a good two years Augustus was absent. When his eyes landed on the most recent photo he looked and Augustus finally joining them again. Through Augustus’s slick black bangs, Roman could see the pain left in his emerald eyes. In a barely audible whisper, he said to himself, “Why did you have to run away? What did we do wrong? I tried to give you everything. Did you hate us enough to leave to join Ironwood’s side? I know you came back but you didn't come back as my son. I'm sorry you're still hurting.”

In a much needed lightening of the mood, he turned to look at several newspaper headlines hung up all over the walls. 

_“War hero Ruby Rose donates 500 million lien towards a city-wide reconstruction project of the shantytown of east side New Vale.”_

_“With a continuous influx of donations from Mrs. Rose, New Vale has been the first settlement to officially end child homelessness.”_

_“Lower class citizens who live below the poverty line for the first time have complete access to all food, water, and shelter requirements.”_

_“Crime rate in New Vale has dropped to almost nonexistent with the opening of a new public school system that grants tuition-free schooling and housing to children no matter their economic position.”_

He could not help but smirk. Did the press really think that all that money could have been raised on a teacher’s salary? Just because he was no longer a criminal did not mean he shied away from the business world. Now with more money than he could ever need, he was determined to give back. That combined with Ruby already being adored by the people made it all too easy to make mass donations to aid the poor in her name. He did not care about any credit. He was helping people and that's what mattered. 

Plus who would have thought that Ruby would have become so powerful? Ruby was now 44 and wielded power like almost no other figure in history, possibly even more than Ozpin, although she would never admit it. While she herself was not a politician, all politicians knew of her and respected her through either fear or awe. They were always wary of crossing her and when the occasional politician did… Roman’s criminal expertise came quite in handy when digging up dirt on people and publicly shaming them. 

Not to mention that Ruby, himself, and all of their closest friends were the leaders of a rebel group called “The Thorns” with Qrow as leader and the Rose family just below. They did not do many violent actions but were dedicated to being a thorn in Ironwood’s side.

But before Roman could continue his thoughts, he was interrupted with a start.

“Roman Caesar Rose!” He heard his wife and boss yell from outside the door that led to the massive office that used to be Ozpin's. Next thing he knew she burst through the door with her face as red as that tattered old cloak she still wore. Breathing heavily she yelled, “What did you do to our daughter?!”

“Ah, Headmaster Rose, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He said with a smile.

“Answer the question!”

Roman could not help but let his smile take a sinister turn. “I only did what was promised.”

That made her freeze in place and think for a few seconds. When she could not come up with anything she crossed her arms and gave an accusatory glare. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well first off what do you think I did?” He asked knowing very well what he did.

“I don't know but our daughter just came and upfronted me about how you're, _and I quote,_ ‘the biggest asshole she's ever seen’.”

Roman only snickered which seemed to anger Ruby even more. “Answer me right now or you're sleeping on the couch tonight!”

“Alright, alright. Do you remember the promise we made on the day of her birth?”

She looked away clearly racking her brain to find this promise she supposedly made. After a few seconds, she gasped. Turning to face him with wide eyes she muttered, “You didn't…”

“Oh, I did.” He said beginning to chuckle evilly. “You got to pick the name and I get to choose to do whatever I want to the first boy or girl she brings home to me looking for approval.”

“I didn't think you'd remember!”

“There's no way I was going to forget that.”

“You at least promised me that I would be able to watch it happen!”

“And watch it you shall.” He said turning his holographic monitor to face her direction. “I have it recorded.”

With that, he pulled up the video and hit play. He spun himself around to look out the window again while the video played. He sipped his mug of coffee lightly, listening fondly to the screams of an emotionally distraught teenager. When it was all over he turned around laughing to be greeted by Ruby’s face a few shades paler. 

“You're a monster,” she whispered. 

“Yes, but I'm your monster. So what did you think?”

“I think I need to know how to delete this.”

“Too late!” He chimed. “I already made copies. I don't care what you say I'm showing this at her wedding.”

Ruby sighed and rubbed her temples. “But I thought you liked Monty Ren? You know any child of Nora and Ren’s would perfect for her?” 

“Oh, I do. I can't imagine a better person for our daughter.”

“Yet you did this?”

“I've had eighteen years to plan and have made countless different options depending on whether I liked the kid or not. This was the least threatening of them all. You should've seen what I would've done had I not liked them.”

Ruby crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. “And you wonder why you have problems controlling her?”

“I can't blame it if she gets her rebellious side from you.” He said with a smirk.

“Excuse me? I'm not the world renowned criminal here.”

“Yes but you are the one who fell in love with said bastardly handsome criminal.”

“Which was one of the stupidest things I've ever done.”

He stood up and before she knew it he was right behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He gave her a small squeeze and said “Maybe, but do you regret it?”

He smirked knowing he caught her. She turned her head to face him and while she was clearly miffed she could not fight back a smile. “Not in the slightest. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but the greatest decision of my life.”

He gave her a quick kiss but afterward, she gestured down to where he wrapped his arms around her said, “You're trying to use the old cuddle tactic aren't you?”

“You can't deny that you like it.”

She paused for a moment but then he felt her muscles relax. He knew she wanted to stay ticked at him but they could hardly stay mad at each other like this. She laid back against him, using him as support while she rested her head against his shoulder. “You know me too well don't you?”

“There's nobody else I'd like to know more.”

He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the sensation of holding her in his arms. It never ceased to amaze him how such a simple action could create a bubble, their own little world, filled with nothing but love and compassion. He admitted that it lacked the excitement it once held but he liked what it had turned into. There was nothing else quite so calming and serene. It felt like home.

Ruby spoke up snapping him out of his thoughts and said, “So what are you going to do about Summer? I'd prefer to have our daughter refer to you as something other than an asshole. I'm not saying that she's wrong but I still don't think she should be referring to you as such.”

He could not help but laugh. “Don't worry about the boy. I'll track him down and tell him it was all a joke. And you know I'll make it up to Summer. I always do.”

“Alright but you better. You can also work on your relationship with Augustus while you're at it.” She said with her tone suddenly taking one of seriousness.

He felt like a dagger was thrust into his heart. “I know. I've forgiven him and I've let him know that. Sometimes it's just hard. I can't help but remember how you felt for a good three months after he left. Even then you weren't quite the same until he came back.”

“He's your son.”

“He joined the ranks of Ironwood.”

“He was trying to find himself and lost his way. He found the light again and came back.”

“Yeah he did, after he was gone for two years.”

“You left me for three back when I was sixteen, remember?”

The dagger in his heart was then twisted. “I know.” He muttered. “That is my greatest regret. But it took you some time to forgive me. Six months wasn't it? And then a year afterwards for your feelings for me to come back. You didn't just snap back in a day, I respected that about you. Just give me some time.”

He paused for a moment and in doing so he gave her another small squeeze. She responded by turning around and giving him a hug. It was a continuous reminder that he was far too lucky to have her in his life. “Just don't make me wait too long, alright?” She asked.

“I promise. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She paused for a brief moment before she jumped a bit and said, “I nearly forgot.”

“Forgot what?”

“Well you know how Yang and Neo have been trying to get proof of Ironwood's war crimes?”

He grabbed her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “Nothing happened to them, right? Please tell me-”

“What?! No, no, no they're fine. But they did it! They found a hidden bunker on the side of a volcano on one of the islands near Atlas! It had everything! They were able to download everything!”

Roman let a smile creep onto his lips. He started laughing and he felt like a giddy little school boy. “They actually did it? So what's your Uncle’s plan?”

Ruby was starting to laugh herself. “Sorry, I was going to tell you this sooner but then I had to deal with Summer. But Qrow's got an entire plan set up. We're finally going to put Ironwood in his place.”

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get operation RustCutter under way. What does Qrow want us to do?”

“We're going to meet him by the docks. We'll get an airship and confront Ironwood about this and hope he surrenders.”

“And if he doesn't? If shit hits the fan then we need to have something to stop it from hitting the twelve fans behind it.”

“The two of us with Qrow should be able to take him. We'll be recording the whole thing too and playing it to the people. Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha will play it here in Vale, Blake and Sun in Vacuo, Neo and Yang in Mistral, and Weiss will even play it for Atlas. No matter what happens Ironwood loses.”

Roman thought back to when the two of them first started planning this. It was shortly after they had gotten married when Ironwood started to invalidate his own promises. The other kingdoms had given him control over their militaries to fight the White Fang but he never gave them back after the war. Instead, he pushed Atlas’s influence onto the other kingdoms and encouraged elitism and oligarchy, only separating the social classes even more.

This was something that the two of them could not stand. Both of them having seen what war crimes Ironwood committed, vowed to remove him from power and do everything possible to eliminate any of his influence. It had taken over twenty years but now they were finally going to put him in his place.

“Then lead the way.” He said gesturing towards the door. “This should be entertaining.”

He promptly followed her with a spring in his step. When he got out of the small office and stepped into Ruby’s he stopped though. Everything was the same shade of green from when it used to be Ozpin’s. When Glynda became headmaster she kept the decoration style the same in honor of him while leaving her old office to Ruby as her assistant. When Glynda passed and Ruby inherited the title of headmaster she made him her assistant but also kept the style the same out of respect for Ozpin. He made sure to keep his excitement contained until he reached the elevator.

The solemn moment did not erase his happiness however. When he stepped into the elevator with her he felt like he could kiss her. In fact, he would have if she did not stop him before he got too far.

Ruby looked up at him and said, “Trust me I'd love a kiss but you know what happens every time we do in this elevator, right?”

Roman sighed knowing that she was right. “Yeah, yeah. You don't need to remind me.”

As much as he wanted to show displays of affection he knew what would happen if he did. There had never been one time so far that the doors did not open at an inopportune time. It became an official rule of their relationship after they got caught making out by a student. That was one of the most interesting weeks of his life having to deal with that.

“You know this reminds me of our adventures when we were younger,” Roman said with a smile.

Ruby stared off not space as if she was taking a trip down memory lane. “I kind of miss those days,” she said.

“I don't know about you but I've had enough excitement to last a lifetime.”

“Agreed. I'd like it if I could for once not have to worry about somebody.”

“But you've got me around.”

She looked at him with a playful pout and he returned the gesture. In no time both of them were laughing like they were lovestruck idiots. “I don't mind worrying about you though,” Ruby said.

Roman took her hand and said, “Good, because I've still gotta least another thirty years in me I want to spend with the most beautiful woman alive.”

“Such a gentleman.”

“I do it for you.”

The elevator ride was taking surprisingly long, almost enough that he considered kissing her to make it end. Dismissing the idea, he had to do something so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small coin that became a plaything of his. He tossed it in the air a few times before it got Ruby’s attention.”

“What's that?” She asked. 

“A little souvenir I picked up a while back. First honest lien I earned. I always found how the bloody side and the clean side contrast symbolic.”

To his surprise that only seemed to make her even more infatuated with it. “May I hold it?”

“Um… Sure I guess. Just don't get your hands dirty.”

She took the coin and caressed each side one at a time. Before he could question her peculiar behavior she said, “I'm having the biggest case of deja vu right now.”

“Really? How so?”

“It reminds me of a fairy tale I read a long time ago. Back when I still knew you as Cobalt.”

He looked at her with a quizzical glare. “That long ago, huh? Well then tell me about it.”

“You really wouldn't mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Well, the story is kind of like ours. It was called _Two Sides of a Bloodied Coin._ ”

“I’ve never heard of a stranger title of a story in my entire life. Well go on now, let me hear it. My curiosity is peaked.”

“Alright then. Well, it went kind of like this….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Words can't possibly express how thankful I am to you all, for everything. From putting up with my bad jokes to my attempts at venting frustration you've been to hell and back. Especially considering how long this story was. I apologize for the large amount of fluff but this is my first attempt at creative writing EVER and as you can see I've grown a bit since the beginning of this journey.
> 
> And a journey it has been. I started writing this in late December of 2015 because it was an idea I came up with for a friend to write, but then I thought I could do better. And look at where we are now. 19 months and 180,000 words later we’re here. Being a part of the Rosewick fandom has changed my life in many ways. It has inspired a liking of writing in me that a decade of schooling couldn't produce and I have no doubt I will carry this interest for the rest of my life. I am putting together my own original work now and plan to eventually be a published author as a side job to my career.
> 
> Because of this story, I even experienced love and heartbreak for the first time.
> 
> Some things to note:  
> If you see future updates to this fic it will not be a continuation of the story, it will be corrections. I may go back and polish some work here and there, fill in a plot hole if there are any left.
> 
> If you have any questions please let me know. You can contact me through PMs/reviews/ comments.
> 
> I plan on making a sequel called "Memories" that is a composition of events skipped over in either of the two time skips. 
> 
> I also have other fanfiction work under production. My next story is called "Overprotective Sister" and is the rosewick story told from the POV of none other than Yang. First chapter should be out, don’t know when it’ll update but it’s there if you want to follow it to be alerted when it does.
> 
> I also tried my hand at the Arkos ship and have written and uploaded a one shot called "A Night to Remember"
> 
> One other minor thing: what did Roman do to his daughter’s love interest you may ask? Use your imagination.
> 
> And last but most certainly not least: All content is courtesy of your local red headed, cane wielding, and impeccably dressed maniac, ItalianTorchwick.
> 
> Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY and all its characters are property of Roosterteeth
> 
> Greetings everyone. To all of you reading this I thank you. I've spent a lot of time working on this story and trust me when I say you're in for one heck of a ride. I ask you all to join me on this "one heck of a ride" and have fun. There will be tears, laughter and feels spread throughout. It should be entertaining.
> 
> All courtesy of your local red headed, cane wielding and impeccably dressed maniac, Italian Torchwick.


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